


The Love Experiment

by kany_jones



Series: Experiments and Donuts [1]
Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: 36 questions to fall in love, Bottom!Frank, Eventual Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, I have no idea what I'm doing, M/M, Sexual Content, Smut, Top!Gerard, first fic, frank is a power bottom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2015-11-05
Packaged: 2018-04-16 16:15:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 32,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4631793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kany_jones/pseuds/kany_jones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being cheated on, Gerard never thought he could love again. Until Mikey convinced him to try an experiment that supposedly makes you fall in love. Will it work for Gerard?</p><p> </p><p>(Based on a real life experiment, where you ask your partner 36 questions to fall in love with them. Fic also on Mibba)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Starbucks for a month

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fic ever, yay, I'm so excited! I apologize for any grammatical/continuity mistakes that may appear, because I'm not a native english speaker, and I had no betas for this, and I'll try my best at not having any mistakes, but if there's any I apologize in advance.
> 
> I also wanted to say I had nothing to do with the experiment in real life, and this fic does not reflect the real results it had (I guess). I took the concept and made a story around it. The paper explaining the experiment is available online and it's worth reading.

“Come on!”

“No.”

“What do you have to lose?”

“My sanity. No one can fall in love with just a bunch of questions. You’re so full of crap.”

“No I’m not. You’ve met Pete. I dare you to say there’s someone more perfect for me out there. I dare you. I double dare you, motherf…”

“Don’t even try that shit with me Mikey. The fact that you found each other through that thing was just pure coincidence and nothing else. I doubt that there’s someone with a perfect mental health that tries that stuff.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“You do act like a psycho sometimes.”

“Dammit, I was going for a continuous thing. The point is, I’m living proof that it works and you lose nothing but a few hours of your life to find The One.”

“I found The One already, and all the hours of my life are very precious.” 

“You spend all of your time drawing or reading comic books! And she wasn’t the one, she cheated on you. She left you in this miserable state, and she never looked back once. That wasn’t love, and you have been hung up on her for too long now. You need to get back out there, It’s been two years already Gerard.”

Gerard didn’t like to think about it. It hurt every time he did, so he had stopped doing so a long time ago. It wasn’t like he didn’t care, because he did, but to know that you gave your all to someone who had thrown it all away so easily made him want to scream, cry, vomit, punch a wall and flip a table. How could someone cheat he would never understand.

But she sure did. Gerard wished it would’ve been a one-time thing, not that he would forgive her anyways, but it would be easier to accept that it was a mistake, something that’s human and that eventually he could move on from. Except it wasn’t. She cheated, repeatedly and with several guys. Every time Gerard had a business trip, the harlot went to a bar and picked up a random guy, leading him to a hotel room and a night of lust.

This happened for a few months, until she got with the wrong guy. Maybe she was just unlucky, or perhaps it was the Universe’s punishment (at least is what Gerard likes to think it was), no one will ever know. The fact is, she spotted a nice, shy and very attractive guy across the bar and wasted no time. He was reluctant, but she managed to convince him to spend the night with her. She just didn’t see one thing coming: he was a friend of Pete’s. 

Brendon, as transparent as he is, wasn’t very convincing when he pretended everything was fine and nothing had happened the night before when he met Pete for coffee the next morning. He told him everything about her and even showed him a photo of her, because she had the nerve to snap one for his contact list under “Best Night of Your Life”. Pete listened enthusiastically, happy for his usually shy best friend, until he had to leave to go meet with Mikey for lunch. He was going to meet his brother for the first time and wanted to be on time (for once) for that special occasion. When he got there, he kissed Mikey, nervously greeted Gerard, afraid of causing a bad impression, and held his breath when he met her. It was the same woman Brendon had showed him. Pete tried to learn if she had a twin or something, but froze when he found out it was really the same person, with the same face, same name, with only one difference from Brendon’s description: her relationship status. 

Pete wasted no time telling Mikey, as soon as lunch ended, and both told Gerard during a Star Wars marathon, the only time they could get Gerard alone, without her. He didn’t take it well and refused to believe them, but eventually found proof of everything they told him, and it all ended there. He loved her so much and within days it all ended abruptly. A break-up, a depression and several thousands of drawings later he finally snapped and changed his life around. A new house, a new job, but no new love. That was impossible to happen, he thought, but that didn’t stop Mikey from trying over and over to change that.

“I know. I just… I don’t think this is the right way to meet “The One”.” Gerard says while mockingly making quotation marks with his fingers - “How can I know I really love someone for who it is, and not for a stupid bunch of questions and some mind control?”

“There’s no mind control, although it would be awesome if it did. I would be the first in line to test it out, can you imagine? “Gerard, make my bed”, “Gerard, make me dinner”, “Gerard, go to the experiment and make me the best man at your wedding”, “Gera…””

“Okay Mikey, I got it, you would make me your Alfred. But answer me the question. How do you know you’re really in love with Pete, and it wasn’t just the experiment that made you fall in love with each other?”

“I don’t know, I just feel happy when he’s around. Better than happy actually. I feel like I could go around the world with only the spunk his smile gives me. I could climb Mount Everest with no climbing gear if I knew he was at the top waiting for me with a kiss. The fact that we met through this was just a way of meeting each other. We were meant to be, even if we met in a bar or in church…”

“You don’t go to church.”

“I know, that’s to show you how unlikely it would be for me to be there, and fall in love with him at the same time. Unlikely, but possible. Just try it, if it’s a bust, you don’t need to see her ever again. ”

“I’ll do it, but I want something from you, for putting me up to this kind of shit”

“Something other than my unconditional brotherly love?”

“Oh yeah, that’s worth nothing compared to what I want.”

“Oh god, what do you want?”

“I want you Iron Man #55, your Spiderman #14, and that signed Darth Vader helmet, and the Storm trooper, and…”

“Hell no, die alone, you’ll never get anything from my collection. Or a soulmate, with that attitude.”

“Ugh, fine. But if I find her, you do owe me Starbucks for a month. Where can I sign up to do it?”


	2. Except he just did

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waiting rooms and forms to fill aren't exactly fun. Thank God there was someone else in the waiting room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, I was so excited to see people commenting and leaving kudos, thank you so much!!! (I never thought it would happen, considering it is my first fic ever, and also the first update!) Thank you so, so much, I'm so happy, you can't even imagine!!!

When Gerard got there he found himself in a modern building, equipped with state of the art laboratories, in which you could see people performing various experiments, none of which he could understand with a “mere” art degree. He studied hard to get it, but he could only imagine how much they had to study to understand those complicate procedures. It seemed so complex and he got distracted with two people in lab coats unloading a weird giant machine, curious to see what they were up to with it. Maybe a little too distracted, because next thing he knows he hears a voice calling for him down the hall.

“I’m so sorry, I was just watching what they were doing. I just have never been in a professional lab before, just those cheap-high school fake labs, you know?”

“I understand, we have a lot of participants that get curious too, but we’re not going to run the experiment in one of them, I’m sorry.” - Said the man a little bit amused - “We’re only granted a few small ordinary rooms to do it, so you’ll have to settle for a chair and a coffee table.”

“And coffee too, I hope?”

“Yes, and cookies. It usually lasts about an hour, but it can be a little bit longer, so we have them so no one can sue us for being hungry!” - The man was chuckling now.

Gerard forced a smile as they entered the waiting room where only a guy was sitting, with a clipboard on his hands, filling what it seemed like thousands of pages of forms or consents. The man quickly gave him of his own, to fill while he was preparing the room to receive him. Gerard didn’t hear a word though, as he got so absorbed on that strange man, and almost dropped his clipboard as he sat down on a nearby chair.

“Who knew you’d have to fill out fifty-thousand different forms to get to know the love of your life?” – The guy started to talk, and Gerard looked around to see to whom, but failed to find anyone other than himself to answer the man’s question.

“Yeah, this kind of put the Lord of the Rings books to shame.”- Gerard answered the man, both laughing and punching himself internally, because it was a great answer and also a too nerdy of a thing to say in a professional lab.

Another reason for that mental slap was that he felt kind of nervous next to that man. He appeared to be short, with dark hair, dark clothes but light eyes. Hazel they seemed, Gerard really needed new contacts. His eyes were like a magnet to Gerard’s, but undoubtedly what brought more attention were his tattoos. Ink filled his arms, hands and neck, and probably other places that Gerard was getting too uncomfortable to think of. He seemed a tough, punk-rocker and not-a-slight-of-a nerdy guy to understand Gerard’s joke, which made Gerard flinch in embarrassment. For some reason, he didn’t want to cause a bad first impression to that man.

“You’re absolutely right, but unlike this, the books are actually worth reading.”

Gerard sighed loudly in relief, and only realized he did when the man looked up from the papers with a concerned look on his face.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just getting real tired of these consents. What are they even worried with this kind of things? Falling off a chair? I’m not five.” – Gerard tried to play it cool, failing miserably while doing so.

“They are kind of stupid, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there would be people out there trying to get advantage of this. You know, suing and stuff…” – Gerard knew he was welcomed by the same guy he did.

“Still, some of them are unnecessary. I want to meet the love of my life, not read the fucking bible to do so!”

“You really believe you’ll find love through this?”

“I don’t know. My brother did and he convinced me to come here too, he’s tired of me being single and besides, he promised me Starbucks for a month if I did it.”

“So you’re in this for the Starbucks?” – The man was laughing, and Gerard nodded – “That’s a perfectly acceptable reason to be here, I wished I had someone promising me that too.”

Gerard smiled and jokingly asked: 

“So, why are you here then? I now know it’s not for the Starbucks, so I can’t really imagine any other reason to do this…”

“My mom. She wants me to have some stability in my life. I have an unreliable job, a bad apartment and no girlfriend or kids. I know I sound like a momma’s boy, but she was very sick recently and her biggest regret was not living to see me getting married, so I promised if she survived I’d at least try to find The One to make her happier. She is the strongest person I know and she did it, so, I had to keep my promise and here I am. Dating was never really that important to me, so I don’t know how to keep a long relationship or how to actually get one, so I want to get it right the first time in a serious thing, she suffered enough already with her illness, I don’t want her to suffer with my inability to keep someone around.”

Gerard felt like crying, because he was also very attached to his mother, and didn’t even know what to say after that unburdening, let alone imagine what would be like to almost lose his mom.

“Again: are you okay?” - The man asked, now with a mist of smiling and concern on his face.

“Yeah, I just feel like an asshole on how futile my reasons to be here are.”

“Oh, don’t be. I’m kind of happy to be here, it means she survived and I get to have her around a little bit longer. Be happy too, for me, please?” – The man was definitely smiling now.

Gerard smiled back, nodding and finishing up his paperwork. The guy had long finished them, but Gerard got so distracted with his hazel eyes that he got behind, and was afraid of not having all ready and filled for the researcher to collect them. While he did it, away from that captivating gaze, he started to think to himself that the man seemed to be a little flirtatious towards him. Gerard started to blush at those thoughts and quickly decided he was getting too caught up on that “True Love” thing. 

“Frank Iero? We’re ready to start.” – A womanly voice asked, with her head popped from a nearby door.

“That’s me, here you go.” – Frank answered while handing her the clipboard, before he leaned towards Gerard – “Nice meeting you, uhhh…”

“G-G-Gerard. Gerard Way.” – said Gerard nervously while shaking Frank’s hand.

“Oh great, Mr. Way, we’re ready for you too!”- Another woman cheerfully said from another door, while Frank disappeared from Gerard’s sight – “Ready to meet The One?”


	3. Little did he know, he was wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard does the experiment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So today is always a sad day for me, because of, um, reasons, so I decided to post here, because this always cheers me up. Such a warm community is just what I need, and also, due to a recent heartbreak I've been writing non-stop, so here you have another chapter.
> 
> Also,I'm really lame and technology impaired, so I don't know why, it always repeats the end note from the first chapter. Please ignore and if you know how to take it off please tell me, cause it's driving me nuts.

Gerard didn’t quite know what he was expecting when he entered the room. Maybe a few electrodes, heart monitors, and oh god, perhaps some needles. He was already getting nervous and after that needles thought he was starting to have a serious panic attack. He thought of that smile he just had received from Frank and his nerves calmed down. His heart wasn’t beating any slower, maybe even faster, but at that moment Gerard only cared about relaxing and avoid any panic attack whatsoever, and Frank’s smile seemed to do the trick.

He entered the room, small and cozy, but not that tiny, where a few chairs were surrounding a coffee table, with the promised coffee Gerard was craving for. The man who guided him was already sitting down, chatting with a woman, and the same lady that called him told him to sit down next to her, while she grabbed a few papers and handed them to the nervous couple.

“You can keep the guide questions after this, kind of like a souvenir.” The woman said smiling.

As Gerard sat down and picked up a cup of coffee, while facing a dark-eyed woman with black hair, flaming red lips and a nervous smile. She seemed restless in her chair, both shy and anxious for the experiment to start, something Gerard could understand, because he felt the same. He probably just wasn’t showing it, since he was still thinking of Frank, and hadn’t quite realized the experiment was on the verge to start at any minute now.

“Please, introduce yourselves to each other, so we can begin our little experiment. I’m just going to give you both a warning, the goal of our procedure is to develop a feeling of closeness, not a long-lasting relationship right off the batch. It’s a common misconception that this is to find true love, so please, don’t be angry if it doesn’t work, but if it does work, we want wedding invitations, okay?” said the man laughing, while Gerard and his “match” forced a smile, because more and more he proved to Gerard that he was an obnoxious unfunny guy.

“I’m Gerard.” Gerard stretched is arm for a handshake.

“Lindsey.” She shook his hand, smiling, which made Gerard feel comfortable and less awkward. He wasn’t very good at meeting strangers, but he felt like she was an easy person to talk to, and the awkwardness faded away quickly, as soon as the experiment started. After the first few questions he was sure that she was a warm person, people-orientated, with a strong personality, despite being a little shy at first. Gerard was eager to get to know her, as she appeared to be so much better than her predecessor.

It felt like 50 first dates in one, and it was enough for Gerard to get to know Lindsey like they had been best friends for all their life. Gerard even questioned himself afterwards about who did he know better: her or Mikey. It was still Mikey, but the competition was fierce.

How could it be, that she had such an allure drawn to her? There were two people in that room, other than Gerard and Lindsey, but if you were to ask him, he couldn’t describe them at all, as he spent all his time looking at her, trying to absorb every ounce of beauty he saw in her. He even managed to forget everything about Frank, and had his mind was really set on one thing only: Lindsey. She was perfect. The way she talked, the way she gestured while she did it, her nervous laugh when she would lose her train of thought… Gerard was just fascinated. No one could be this perfect.

As the experiment came to an end, they were required to look each other in the eyes for a few minutes, and Gerard could only see happiness. Frank was on the back of his mind and never meant to be thought of again.

 

* * *

It was almost sundown when Gerard left the lab. He had stopped to order a pizza on his favorite restaurant, the kind where the owner already knows you by the name, and called Mikey to meet him at his place. Mikey was curious, asking millions of questions, but Gerard didn’t say one thing and forced him to wait for details. In exchange he would get free pizza. It seemed more than fair. Mikey agreed, but he would drag Pete along. Gerard didn’t mind, but went back to order another pizza, because he knew Pete would eat one all by himself. The man had a black hole for a stomach, and Gerard was already prepared to face an empty pantry if he didn’t bring enough pizza for him. It was starting to rain, he had to hurry if he wanted to make it home before the cloudburst. Thank God the pizzeria was fast, he made it just before he became more water than man.

As soon as he got home, Mikey and Pete hadn’t arrived yet, so Gerard ran to his room to change from his wet clothes and get his sketchpad, where he started to draw her, with every detail he could remember, so he that he could never forget her facial features, her eyes and her smile. _She could be the next Mona Lisa_ , he thought as he drew, making it look almost like a photograph, so that he could show her to Mikey, because no description would be fair enough for her beauty. Only a picture could do the trick.

As he drew, he kept thinking about her, reflecting on the amazing experience he just had. They had talked for almost two hours, and Gerard never felt like that. He was never that comfortable around someone that he just met, which made him think to himself:

 _It worked. It’s her._  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a Frerard. I promise.


	4. Where’s the clown?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard is sad, because there is no clown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the "Noooo" part, please remember that video where Bob threatened to give away Mikey's phone number. His reaction was priceless, so I had to put it in here.
> 
>  
> 
> (I've pretty much given up on understanding end notes, so this chapter only has this one. The end note is automatic for some reason. I'm getting tired of seeing it, although I mean every word of it. A kitten still loves you.)

“Are you gonna tell me or not?!?!” – Mikey was getting frustrated.

“I’m waiting for Pete. I’m not telling the story twice. It’s your fault, you should’ve caught a cab, only you two fools to walk around in New York City rain…”

“I’m already dry, why is Pete taking so much damn time?”

“First, you’re so skinny you pass in between the drops, so you hardly get wet. Second, I’m pretty sure I heard Pete mumbling something about his eyeliner being smudged. I bet he’s fixing it right now, I’d tell you to go check him out, but I’d rather not having you two make babies in my bathroom. Wait for him, you’ve already waited two years, you can hold on a little bit longer.”

“Noooo!!!” – Mikey said in a childish tone, almost throwing a tantrum – “I need details, I’m dying for details, dear God Gerard, give me something!” – He said while grabbing Gerard by his collar and giving him a mad-man look, with bug eyes and frowny face.

“Mikey, please, you don’t scare me. Well, only when you seem to read minds, but never, ever like this.” – Said Gerard calmly while chuckling.

“Dammit. I’m going to kill Pete, for Go…”

“I’m here, I’m here!” – Pete left the bathroom with wet hair, but perfectly lined eyes. Gerard was right and probably missing half his make-up bag – “What did I miss?”

“Nothing. Gerard won’t tell me until you’re here. But you’re here at last, can you PLEASE tell the damn story now?!?!” - Mikey was really on edge and almost jumping off the couch with excitement.

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you everything. I’ll start: Once upon a time, I had a brother who was born on…”

“GERARD!!!! TELL THE FUCKING STORY OR I SWEAR…” – Mikey was pointing his elbow at Gerard to show him he would hit him as soon as he could if he didn’t tell everything that mattered, and Gerard flinched. No one wants to be elbowed by Mikey, it’s almost like being trespassed by a sword.

“Fine! Don’t you point that thing at me, it can kill someone.”

Mikey smiled, his threat had worked.

“You owe me Starbucks for a month.”

“Are you being serious? Gerard, honestly, if you didn’t find her it’s okay, at least you tried. You don’t need to lie to me.”

“I’m not lying. I don’t even know how it happened. I just… When I first saw her, I thought she was beautiful, and you know me around new people, I’m a mess. But she made it all go away. I felt so comfortable around her, like I’d known her for all my life. She was beautiful on the inside and on the outside. I’ve never felt like this.”

“This means…?” – Mikey had a huge smile on his face, but the question seemed to leave Gerard confused.

“It means…?” – Gerard asked, with a look on his face usually only given to Math teachers.

Mikey unzipped his jacket and under it was a black t-shirt that said “MIKEY WAS RIGHT” in bold yellow letters that you could see from China, as he threw confetti’s all over the house, running around shouting “I WAS RIGHT!” repeatedly. Pete already knew about it, but joined Mikey in a laughing fit only because of Gerard’s face. It was priceless. 

“Shouldn’t you have waited for the clown?”

“What clown?”

“You make this damn party all by yourself and don’t even bother to hire a clown. I’m disappointed at you Mikey. You have seriously just filled my house of confetti’s?”

“Hell yeah, I wouldn’t miss any opportunity to do this.” – Mikey sat back on the couch and tried to catch his breath, which was proving to be impossible due to his bout of laughter.

“You do know you’ll sweep every corner of my house or I’ll shove every confetti I find down your throat?”

“It was worth it. Besides, not even you sweep it, let it be. It gives the house a more festive look.”

Gerard threw a pillow at Mikey, who was still breathing heavily from the run, and Pete asked:

“So what now? Are you dating or what?”

“I don’t know. We have a date in the weekend, I’ll probably know then.”

“But is it something that you want?”

“Yeah, I think so. You know, I thought it was impossible to feel in love again, but I think I was wrong. Thank you Mikey, for opening up my eyes.” – Gerard had a tone of condescendence in his voice, but was so very grateful deep inside, and Mikey knew that. No one could fake something like this, let alone Gerard, who took love seriously. He didn’t like to sleep around. No. With him it had to be the real deal. For him it wasn’t something to take lightly, to have fun only, and Mikey understood that. His brother gave it all, and expected nothing less in return. And after the bitch did that to him, Mikey knew it was going to be hard, but he also knew he wasn’t giving up on Gerard, like she did. And knew he had succeeded when Gerard grabbed his sketchpad and showed him all his new drawings.

“It’s her. Isn’t she beautiful?” – Gerard had a proud tone in his voice now.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to meet her.” – Mikey’s happiness had faded away. He was serious now, because he had seen something in Gerard’s eyes that got him worried: sadness.  
Mikey didn’t understand where it came from, since apparently neither Pete nor Gerard noticed it. Gerard kept talking about the experiment, and how her answers to the questions got her the award of “Perfect Woman” in Gerard’s head. Mikey listened and faked a smile, watching Gerard’s eyes carefully. He was hiding something. Mikey had to find out what.


	5. Lindsey, the Mistress of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard and Lindsey go on a date.

This was the slowest week ever, Gerard was sure of it. He would only see Lindsey again on Saturday, and that proved to be the longest three days Gerard had ever lived. The only way the time went by faster was when he started to draw her, again and again. Gerard was happy, he finally had a muse to inspire him again. Since the break-up he only wanted to draw depressing scenes and destroy them after, kind of like a therapy to forget her and all the negativity she had brought to his life. But now he was inspired to draw, not only Lindsey, but pictures of happiness. Everything that had made Gerard happy at some point in his lifetime had a guaranteed sheet of paper in his sketchpad, drawn with all the details he could remember. He was no longer punishing himself, he was rewarding himself because he found The One, and it was the most amazing person that he had ever met.

Friday night Gerard could barely sleep, and he eventually gave up by 4 a.m., when he got up and made himself a cup of coffee, only to lie down on the couch watching a re-run of “Futurama”. Gerard smiled to himself: Lindsey loved time-travel. She was particularly fascinated by the paradoxes of it, and tried her all to understand it, having multiple theories of what could happen if it was actually possible. She was not only pretty, she was very smart and Gerard admired that. He couldn’t date someone empty inside, it had to be someone that could have an opinion of their own, and someone he could have a nice conversation with.

Feeling inspired, he got up, grabbed his sketchpad and started to draw a new comic book. His star would be Lindsey and her superpower involved obviously, time travel. He drew like there was no tomorrow, but there actually was, as Gerard noticed the crack of dawn through the blinds. He felt tired, and after seeing the sunrise decided to have a little nap. His date was in the afternoon, he could have some sleep until then.

He woke up by lunch hour with a text from Mikey, wishing him good luck for his date. Mikey had been acting strange since that pizza night, and Gerard wondered why. He tried to talk to him, but he said he was busy or made up some half-assed excuse. There had never been behaviors like this between them ever, and Gerard wondered if it was about Lindsey. How could Mikey dislike someone he hadn’t even met yet and, on top of all, someone he had encouraged Gerard to meet?

No, that couldn’t be it. What could it be? Meh, Gerard could think about it later, he was getting late, and he wanted to be on time. After all, he had made her wait for two years, he wasn’t going to make her wait any longer.

* * *

 

Gerard was sitting by the lake, watching the ducklings, when Lindsey arrived. She looked gorgeous, but in a way only Gerard seemed to understand. She was dressed like the ultimate girl next door, with a black jacket covering a black t-shirt and jeans, all combined with some colorful Converse All-Stars she had worn before, when they held the experiment. It showed that she had put an effort to look good for Gerard, but at the same time, she didn’t need couture to look amazing, and he knew that. Above all, her shoes got Gerard captivated, because he made sure they were featured in his most recent character creation. It was what Gerard appreciated the most about her: she got him inspired in a way no one else could get him, and he cherished that, because Art was the ultimate passion of his life, and anyone who could get him inspired on that was someone to care for.

“I’m so sorry for being late! Have you been waiting for a long time?”

“Oh, don’t be, I have just arrived.” Lied Gerard, with a smile. He was waiting for almost an hour, but to be honest, he got there way beforehand and he didn’t really mind. He could forgive her anything, if she gave him the same nervous little smile and blushed cheeks she was giving him now.

“I’m really sorry, something came up at work and I wanted to get the hell out of there, but they kept me from leaving, making me do more and more stuff, like there was no one else, I really hope you don’t mind, please tell me if you, I’d hate it if you…”

Gerard had stopped her with a kiss. She rambled when she was nervous, Gerard had noticed it for the first few questions when they did the experiment, and there was no better way to ease the tension than with a kiss. Wait, was there? Oh God, what had Gerard done, she was going to hate him, what the hell was he thinking? Oh great, now he was having a mental breakdown, the most wise thing to do was to break the kiss.

But Gerard got really surprised when none of them did. She seemed to get more confident and hugged Gerard, which calmed his nerves and allowed him to enjoy it properly, putting his hands on her hip and letting all the worries go. There had been too long since he got a kiss, and even longer since he got a kiss like this, warm, not only in the mouth but also in the heart, close and passionate. It didn’t felt like cheating nor did it felt wrong. That was something that always got on Gerard’s nerves when he thought about a new relationship. It felt quite right, now that he was actually doing it, and every piece of him knew she had to be special to make him feel like this.

“I’m sorry, you seemed nervous, I thought you needed to calm down, and this was stupid of me to do, jumping on you like this, I didn’t mean to make you mad, if you’re mad I understand…”

“I’m not mad. I needed to shut up. And so do you, before you say something you regret.” Lindsey had a smile on her face, a very comforting one, which made Gerard forget all his excuses for that impulsive kiss, as she leaned for another, which Gerard happily returned.

The date went by with no more surprises like, this, because after those first few kisses it already felt natural that their lips got sealed together inevitably every five minutes. Lindsey seemed to be having the best time, and Gerard certainly was. He needed something like this, he just hadn’t realized it before. They sat down in a park bench eating ice-cream when Gerard handed a sheet of neatly folded paper to Lindsey.

“Here. I made you this. You said you loved time travel and you got me inspired, so…”

Lindsey unfolded the paper, in which a female superhero under the name “ _Lindsey, the Mistress of Time_ ” was drawn, detailed with her own Converse and an outfit made with her favorite colors.

“How did you…? It’s amazing, no one has ever done something like this for me. I love it, it’s so cool!”

“You just got me really inspired you know, and I tried to capture you in every way I could, I hope you honestly like it, because I have something to tell you: I’m thinking of making it a real comic book… If you don’t mind, of course.”

“I would love that, it would be so awesome. I never thought I’d have my own comic book character, but I’d really, really like that. Thank you Gerard, this has to be the best date ever.”


	6. Mikey is not hallucinating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard is thrilled about Lindsey. Mikey, not so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, long story short, tomorrow is my best friend's birthday and I'm going away to celebrate it, so I decided to write really fast to avoid keeping you waiting until Sunday or so for this update, as I will be away from my computer and won't be able to do any major writing.
> 
> But not to worry, I have most of next chapter written too, so it shouldn't be that long for another update.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and most of all, thank you for all your comments and kudos!!! :)

“So, how did it go?”

“Pretty awesome, we talked about tons of things, you should have been there Mikey, we…”

“Please, I love you, and I’m glad you’re happy, but I’ll take your word on it, I’m not going to follow you two around. There’s some things a baby brother should never see of his big brother.”

“Will you stop that? Nothing happened. We just kissed, that’s all. And we have a double date next week.”

“You just kissed? Gerard, that’s wonderful, I never thought you’d ever be able to do that again! I’m really happy for you bro.”

Mikey wasn’t lying. He was happy that his brother was happy, that, he couldn’t deny. But he couldn’t say he was thrilled about it, not after seeing that glimpse of sadness in his eyes. Where did it came from? Gerard was so excited, Mikey couldn’t guess what could have happened for that glimpse to show. Could it be that Gerard wasn’t still 100 per cent over her and he could be faking every feeling for Lindsey? Nah, Gerard wasn’t the one to hide feelings, at least not from Mikey. To him he was always very transparent. 

And that’s why Mikey was so intrigued. After the dinner he questioned Pete, if he had seen Gerard sad or something, but Pete said he didn’t, that Gerard appeared to be normal, better yet happier, and even Gerard seemed oblivious to his own sadness. Could Mikey be hallucinating?

“I told her about you. She wants to meet you.”

“What?” Mikey got startled, by Gerard’s voice sounding so suddenly right in his ear.

“I told her how you were my best friend and she asked… No, she kind of demanded to get to know you.”

“Wow, did you talk that much shit about me?”

“I didn’t, but if you keep answering like that I most definitely will.”

“I’m sorry. She really wants to meet me, huh?”

“Yeah, can you meet us for coffee tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I guess…”

A long silence took over the call. Gerard was worried, not only was Mikey being ill-mannered, he was also quiet. That was never a good sign.

“Mikes? You there?”

“Yeah, I was just thinking…”

“About what? You got real quiet over there, is there something wrong?”

“No, everything’s fine.” Gerard knew then things were all but fine.

“Mikey, don’t you dare lie to me!”

“I’m not lying! I’m just…”

“Aren’t you happy for me?”

“That’s not it! I am, I really, really am, it’s just that, I have been thinking about some things lately.”

Mikey wasn’t going to tell him he was worried about Gerard’s relationship. The truth was, it wasn’t the only thing he was worried about, and Gerard was the best person to help him with his other problems. After all, they were best friends.

“What? Oh my god, are you breaking up with Pete?!”

“No! What?! No, not by a longshot!”

“What is it then?”

“What should I get Pete for his birthday?”

Gerard expected everything but that so humdrum question.

“How should I know, you’re the one who lives, sleeps and pretty much does everything with him!”

“Yeah but I’m kind of thorn about something…” – Mikey’s voice sounded nervous and was kind of trembling.

“You sound worried Mikey, what the hell is going on?”

“Should I propose to him?”

It fell like a bomb on Gerard. He wasn’t prepared to hear that, and he didn’t responded right away. However, he was most pleased when he finally realized why Mikey had been so quiet and isolated lately. 

“Yeah, like you said, there’s no one more perfect than him for you. And honestly, I can’t picture one of you without the other anymore. It’s just weird, imagining you without him, so go for it. You guys are amazing together. It will be the perfect birthday gift.”

“Thank you bro, I really needed to hear that.”

Gerard ended the call thinking that it could be him asking that same question in a few months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really promise this is a Frerard.


	7. Slaying a dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double dates are tricky. Especially if you end up falling for someone else.

Gerard would be lying if he said he was absolutely confident with this date. Not that he was that nervous, he just wanted to quietly disappear, change his name and appearance to only return six months later. He was a lonely person, with very few friends and no desire to meet new ones. He hated meeting new people, he had to read them twice as fast to understand what they meant and if they were trustworthy or not, and that was something Gerard wasn’t very good at. Mikey was excellent at it, but those genes chose to avoid Gerard, leaving him in a constant dread of getting to know new acquaintances. The thing he hated the most were the awkward silences. He always prepared a few topics beforehand just in case, which have proven to be the best trick he could hide up his sleeve.

Mikey and Lindsey had met three days before, and according to her it all went well. But Gerard knew Mikey was hiding something. Maybe it was just pre-engagement jitters. He really didn’t have time to care, as he was focused on having the two most important people of his life like each other.

When he stopped by Lindsey’s to pick her up for the date he was really hesitant, with a feeling of _this-will-go-wrong_ on his gut and he even considered returning home and fake an illness to avoid the huge step he was about to take in his relationship.

“No, you can’t do this to her. She’s perfect, you’ll never find anyone like her, you have to meet her friends eventually, stop being a damn chicken and man up!” Gerard was mumbling to himself, not having yet rang the doorbell to tell Lindsey he was ready to go. Maybe because he wasn’t at all.

His face involuntarily displayed a smile after Lindsey opened her door, almost bumping into Gerard, who was still froze at her front door.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you hadn’t arrived yet! Why didn’t you ring?”

“I, uhhh…”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just… nervous? I get like this when I’m meeting new people, don’t worry, it’ll fade away eventually.”

“I’m here for you, and I know that you’ll be ok, you can handle this. If you need me, I’m just by your side, I’ll hold your hand, you won’t be alone.“

They walked to the restaurant together, holding hands and discussing comic books along the way, particularly the new issue of “Lindsey, the Mistress of Time”, which had awaken Lindsey’s curiosity, demanding to read it soon despite Gerard saying it wasn’t ready yet. Lindsey knew Gerard was his toughest critic, but her curiosity was seriously killing her.

“So, is she your friend from work? Or is it an old friendship? Please put me up to date, I don’t wanna sound like a heartless distracted idiot.”

“You always sound like that, it’s one of the reasons you’re considered cute.” Lindsey had a tone in her voice that indicated she was messing with Gerard, something he had learned to read on her, otherwise he would’ve believed her blindly “We’re friends from high school, the outcasts, you know? We only had each other most of time and we’re inseparable ever since.”

“Oh I see. Lucky you, I only had Mikey.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing, Mikey is so sweet, how can you complain?”

“You clearly haven’t met the same Mikey I have. And should I be worried, with you calling him sweet?” Gerard was joking, and expected a different reaction from Lindsey other than the strong punch in the arm she’d actually given him.

“Let’s go inside, I think they’re already sitting down. Dammit, they are, come on!”

Gerard hurried and was almost out of breath when he got to their table. How big is this place? Gerard thought to himself looking around to see how far he was from the main entrance. He almost tripped himself while doing so, and finally met the faces already sitting at the table, side by side. And that’s when it hit him. It was Frank. Frank was sitting at the table, beside his girlfriend and friend of Lindsey’s.

“I’m Jamia, but you can call me Jay, nice to finally meet you!”

“Gerard?” Lindsey asked him, but her voice seemed to be far, far away.

“Oh sorry, Gerard.” He shook Jamia’s hand a little bit too hard, but at this point he was more concentrated on breathing than any other thing. Frank was getting all his attention, and the most basic things like talking, walking or breathing were proving to be incredibly hard.

“How have you been Gerard?” Frank asked with a grin on his face.

“Great, and you?” Gerard managed to answer, trying to hide his excitement, until he found where it came from. How could he be so excited from meeting Frank? _What the hell, Gerard_ , was all he could think of now.

Both Lindsey and Jamia were staring at them, trying to figure out where did the guys knew each other from.

“Uhhh, you guys know each other?” Jamia was incredulous and wasn’t hiding her feelings in the question.

“Yeah, I’ve known Gerard longer than I know you Jay.” Frank respond calmly with a wicked and soundly giggle.

“Wait, what?” Now Gerard had the joined the incredulous girls with confusion. He and Frank had only met once, a few weeks ago, and he and Jamia looked like they had known each other since forever.

“Calm down, all of you. I met Gerard in the experiment, in the waiting room. I only met you afterwards, Jay.”

“So you met in the experiment?” Gerard asked. He was so star struck he couldn’t even remember the conversation they had properly.

“Yeah, and so did you, right? Jay told me she went with her friend, I can imagine you are Lindsey?”

“Yeah, nice to meet you, Jay has told me all about you!” 

“Really? I’m not that interesting, you must have had the shortest conversation ever!”

Gerard kept listening to everything they said, admiring how Frank spoke, confident, almost at the border of cocky, and being a little jealous of not being able to be like that himself near Frank. Gerard only wanted to convince himself he was nervous from the date itself, and not because of Frank, but deep down he knew he was only lying to himself. This made Gerard keep in silence for most of the date, which Lindsey noticed, and tried to make better by holding his hand discreetly every now and then.

Gerard felt indeed more comfortable, knowing he had Lindsey there to care for him, as he was certainly imagining things about Frank and losing his mind with it. As the date progressed, Gerard started to talk a little more, but only to Jamia and Lindsey. Every time he tried talking to Frank he choked, confused the words or lost his train of thought, and after a while, he had given up on maintaining a full conversation with Frank, answering monosyllabically to his every question.

The date ended with the two women hugging and promising many more dates like this, while Gerard and Frank shared a timid and awkward handshake, hoping they were kidding as both understood something had changed during the dinner, and it was something neither men could ignore and forget. 


	8. Mikey knows everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard has a meltdown. But heaven sent Mikey to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> College is starting soon, so I'm writing this fic as fast as I can to finish it up before I go, as I will be swarmed with homework, papers and shit like that, and I'd hate to keep you waiting eons for an update. Most chapters have a rough draft lined up, I'll just need to add some details to them, there should be fast updates.
> 
> Also, I was conflicted about this chapter's title, as it may be a little cliche, but after Blackandred guessed it a few chapters ago, I didn't have the heart to change it... :P
> 
> Lastly, (so many notes today), there's a little, small and tiny line I took from The Last Of Us, as it's one of my favorite lines when said in my native language. I always say it along, and it felt so right to put it in here, so I just checked the English version and shoved it somewhere in this chapter xD

“So, was it difficult to slay the dragon?”

“What dragon?”

“The one you were going to kill with Lindsey the other day.”

“You either dreamt about it or you’re losing your mind, because I never said anything about a dragon.”

“Man, you’re slow today. I was asking about the double date… Geez, you usually pick up my funny metaphors. Are you okay Gerard?”

“FYI it wasn’t funny, and yeah, I’m fine.”

He wasn’t and he wasn’t hiding it from Mikey. Mikey knew everything and Gerard didn’t bothered to hide it much more than he did, because he knew Mikey could pick up the pieces quickly. He could only hope Mikey was having a bad day and was distracted enough to let it slip by, but he was more alert than ever.

Mikey was watching Gerard carefully, trying to understand what the hell happened for his brother to be so catatonic. Gerard’s voice was shallow and he was staring at the wall behind the TV, ignoring Mikey’s attempts to look him in the eyes. Gerard seemed so happy with Lindsey, what happened during that dinner that could’ve left Gerard like that?

“You’re as fine as a pillow on a pillow fight. What happened? Oh God, was it her?”

“No, Lindsey is awesome, she didn’t do anything.”

“I didn’t mean Lindsey, Gerard…”

“Oh, her? No, I didn’t see her.” Gerard’s stomach twisted at that thought.

“So what happened? What the hell, Gerard, I’m out of ideas!”

“I… don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I think I failed the experiment…”

“What?!?”

“Lindsey. I… I don’t feel in love with her anymore. It’s like I lost every romantic feeling I had for her overnight…”

“How is that possible? What did she do?”

“Nothing, she did nothing.”

“You’re not making any sense Gerard.”

“I just… I don’t know what happened.”

“Okay, from the top, describe me your date. Leave nothing out.”

“We got there, and I met Jamia and Frank was there and…”

“Whoa, wait, who’s Jamia? Was it her?”

“No, hell no, she’s a friend of Lindsey, I could never think of her like that, you know it.”

“Then what the fuck was it?”

“Frank. Frank was there.”

“Who the hell’s Frank?”

“Jamia’s boyfriend.”

“So? Why are we talking about him?”

“He’s the one I can’t stop thinking of.”

“What? Very funny Gerard, but this isn’t April fools you know?”

“Mikey! Not like _that_. I just can’t stop thinking about his eyes and his smile and…” Gerard’s voice was fading away “Oh God, it’s like _that_.” Gerard covered his face with his hands. Mikey could swear he saw tears running through Gerard’s cheeks, and he knew then he wasn’t lying after all.

“What do you mean _it’s like that_? Gerard seriously, what the hell, I don’t even know where to start here, let me see, you never liked guys, at least I supposed so, he has a girlfriend who happens to be best friends with your own girlfriend and I seriously thought you liked Lindsey! This is messed up Gerard, fuck!”

“I know! Don’t you think I know that? I don’t know what to do Mikey. I like Lindsey, but I don’t know why, Frank caught all my attention yesterday, and my heart felt like it was going to explode from beating so fast, I never felt like that, please Mikey, help me. I’m just… lost.”

Mikey knew there was no point in shouting at him, and instead hugged him. Gerard had tears in his eyes and Mikey knew he had been crying all night and tried to keep a serious normal face in front of him, which had obviously fallen apart after Mikey’s inquiring. He couldn’t imagine what was going through Gerard’s mind in that moment, but he knew one thing, he had to help Gerard sort out the confusion inside his head and for that he needed to hear the whole story.

“Gerard…” Mikey was wiping his tears off his face “Tell me everything about Frank. It’s the only way I can help you.”

“Well, we first met in the lab, and…”

“Wait, what lab?”

“The one where the experiment was held. We were in the waiting room together, and he started to talk to me out of the blue. He seemed really nice, I got nervous from talking to him, but I thought it was from the experiment. Yesterday when I saw him at the table my heart just stopped, and then he explained that he met Jamia in the experiment like I had met Lindsey.”

“Whoa… That’s seriously just fucked up Gerard. It never even crossed my mind you could like guys.”

“I tried in college. It was nice, but I never got attached to any guy, because then I met her and never got the chance to date a man. I thought it was just a phase, but yeah, apparently I’m bi, I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”

“It’s okay, it seems to me not even you knew, so fuck it, better to know later than to know never, right? And Lindsey? What are you gonna do about her?”

 “I don’t know. I thought I could really love her, but after I met Frank I don’t know if I can. I know I sound stupid, because I barely know the guy, but I just know Mikey, he and I have some kind of connection and I’m scared. What if it’s nothing? What if I’m meant to be with Lindsey? What if I throw away my only chance of happiness? What if…”

“Hey, hey, hey, enough! Calm down. First, I think you should spend some time with Frank, to know if that connection does exist. And if you still feel it, maybe you should just tell Frank and break up with Lindsey. You can be a bigger person than the bitch ever was, by not cheating and be truthful. And I know you can be that person. You’ll do the right thing Gerard, I know it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it was a filler chapter, next one should be a little more relevant


	9. Help each other out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey needs help with something, and who to do it better than his big brother?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First I want to apologize to anyone who was looking out for TLOU' reference, it was so small and stupid, I'm sorry, I should never have mentioned it...
> 
> Secondly, I want to thank everyone who has been leaving kudos/comments, or just reading, as this fic recently reached the 500 hits mark and I couldn't be happier, thank you so much, I never thought I'd get there so soon, I love you all.
> 
> Lastly, I want to express my condolences to the Iero family, as they lost a dear family member (Frank's grandfather), and leave a message to the fandom, that has been spread before, but it's never too much to remember, to please be respectful towards them in this time of grief, and give everyone the space and time needed. May his soul rest in peace, and let's all be thankful for the man that, among great personal achievements, not only gave us Frank, but inspired him to follow a career in music. We can never be thankful enough for that.

Gerard could barely sleep the days after the dinner. He stopped answering his phone, sent a text to Lindsey saying he was sick and overall avoided everyone except for Mikey, the only one who knew what was really going on. Lindsey got worried, and wanted to help him out, but Gerard quickly rejected her offer by saying he didn’t want to get her ill too, and he would be okay by himself. He hated doing this, lying to someone you love, but he didn’t see other way out at the moment. He was still confused about Frank and wanted to cause the least pain possible to Lindsey, waiting to sort out everything properly in his head before he took any decision about his current relationship.

Mikey arrived at Gerard’s home with a bunch of groceries to make lunch for his big brother and see if he had made any decision yet.

“Did you bring coffee?”

“I’ll take that as another bad night sleeping.”

“Yup. I want to shut down all my thoughts, but I can’t. My mind keeps going at millions of miles per hour and I’m tired of everything, but I just can’t sleep. Did you get me any sleeping pills?”

“No. You shouldn’t mix them with your anti-depressants, you know that.”

“Mikeyyy!!!” – Gerard whined.

“Geraaard? Don’t be mad at me, I’m only looking out for you!”

“Yeah, but still…”

“Tell you what, you go get showered, dressed and come with me, I have an errand to run and I need your help.”

“What kind of errand?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there, just go get yourself ready! And quickly, before I turn into dust over here…”

“I really don’t wanna leave the house Mikey.”

“And I really don’t wanna go alone Gerard. Go get ready, come on!”

“Mikey, certainly we can go later, and…”

“The hell we can, we have to go today!”

“What can it be that urgent!?”

“I guess you have to wait and see…”

Gerard hated when Mikey was that mysterious. Hell, he has had to deal with it his whole life and he still wasn’t used to it. Mikey could hide anything, from a little insignificant thing, to the pope’s darkest secrets, and that left Gerard a little unsettled. He couldn’t imagine what Mikey could be hiding at all, and it only made him more nervous. Could he be forcing the meeting between Gerard and Frank? No, Mikey didn’t know Frank, that was unlikely. Oh God, maybe Lindsey, and Gerard wasn’t ready to break-up with her, or even maintain the relationship, for that matters.

Gerard only had one option, get a shower and get dressed, neither of which he had done since that critical dinner, and find out once in for all where was he going and what was he doing.

Gerard got showered, dressed and finally turned up in his living room half an hour later. He refused to leave the house though, until Mikey told him what were they doing, but Mikey didn’t cave in, and dragged Gerard out the door, literally.

They had been walking for a few blocks when Mikey said:

“We’re almost there, hurry Gerard!”

“Calm down, geez, I’m already outside, you don’t need to be that impatient…”

“Oh, but I am! Before we go there I just want you to know that this means a lot to me. Your help, I mean. I need you now more than ever, and because you need me to get you out of that pit, we can help each other. Please, just be happy for me today, even if you pretend, please?”

“Okay, but what the fuck are we going to do?”

“I need your help to…” Mikey saw the look on Gerard’s face, as they arrived to the jewelry store, and quickly knew he probably had made a mistake “… choose my engagement ring to give Pete. Will you help me?”

Gerard didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t ready to face happy, gooey couples when he was in this mess, but he decided Mikey was more important than his indecisions ever were.

“Of course I will, you’re my brother, you can count on me always. Always!” Gerard was looking Mikey in the eyes and holding him while telling him that “I’m happy for you kid, even if my life is a total mess, it makes me happy to know that you’re happy.”

Mikey knew Gerard wasn’t faking the happiness he claimed to feel in that moment, but he worried what repercussions could it have later, when Mikey wasn’t around to tend for Gerard.

They entered the store and chose a gorgeous ring, not very ostentatious, with few diamonds, but still really beautiful, and headed on their way back to Gerard’s place. Mikey was telling Gerard about his proposal plans, waiting to hear every single one of Gerard’s tips, when suddenly Gerard stopped walking.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Mikey could barely hear Gerard’s voice, despite being right next to him, and wondered who Gerard was talking to. Then it hit him, it had to be Frank. No one else left Gerard that catatonic, at least not recently, and it wasn’t long before Mikey was putting all the pieces together.

“This is Mikey, my brother…”

“Hey, I’m Frank. Nice to meet you.” Mikey didn’t know if he gave a proper handshake to the guy or not, as he was more concentrated on not panicking and making sure Gerard wouldn’t either to actually pay attention to the guy shaking his hand vigorously.

“Nice, uhhh, to meet you too!” Mikey was trying to come up with a plan or something, to lead Gerard in the right direction, as he was prone to make bad decisions under pressure.

“So, how have you been?”

“Fine, I guess. And you?” Gerard was lying, trying to make Frank believe he had no effect on him whatsoever. It seemed to work.

“Not so great actually. I kind of needed to talk to you, if that was okay…?”

“Uhhh, Mikey and I had an errand to run, so…”

“We’ve already ran it! Talk to him, I have to go home, Pete just texted me, he’s hungry and I’m afraid he’ll turn into The Hulk if I don’t get there quickly with some food… Nice meeting you Frank!” Mikey then turned to Gerard and whispered as discreetly as he could “Go talk to him, you need it. You helped me, now I’m helping you!”

“But…”

“The only butt I want to hear you talking about is Frank's, and in order to do that, you have to settle this once and for all! Find out what he wants and then you can finally make a decision! Call me later and tell me everything, or I can swing by your place if you want.”

“Okay, just…”

“Bye!” And Mikey was on his way home.

“Bye…” The two men answered unenthusiastically.

“So, you wanted to talk?”

“Yeah, mind if we walk? We can talk in my apartment. It’s just around the block and it looks like it’s going to rain soon…”

“Sure.” Gerard slapped himself mentally at that answer. He was nervous enough around the guy, now he was inviting him over and Gerard stupidly accepted. _What the fuck, Gerard?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not what you're thinking... yet.


	10. Someone to keep close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank asks Gerard for love advice. And Gerard is kind of a hypocrite...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't meant to update today, as this chapter wasn't remotely ready. I felt that I left the fic on an unnecessary cliffhanger, as nothing will happen between them just yet (sorry for the "spoiler"), so I kind of rushed it. It's still an important chapter, short, but important.
> 
> BTW, I've written their first kiss already, but it'll take a few chapters to get there. I'm still unsure about how many exactly, as I only have rough drafts, but it won't be soon, I'm sorry. 
> 
> Also, tomorrow I probably won't update, as I think I'm having dinner with some friends, and I don't know if I can have any work done.

“So, who’s Pete?” Frank tried to break the awkward silence left in the air since Mikey had left.

“Mikey’s boyfriend.” Gerard was nervous, could barely speak and felt his heart trying to open a hole on his chest to get out, but it just wasn’t possible. He had no way out, nowhere to hide and no one to cover up his lack of words. He was going to talk to Frank whether he’d like it or not.

“The one from the experiment?”

“Uh, yeah... How do you know that?”

“I remember you telling me when we first met. You said your brother found love there and you were trying too because of him.”

Gerard could remember some details from his first encounter with Frank, but he didn’t expect Frank to remember too. After all, he was some random stranger in the waiting room.

“You remember that?” Gerard was blushing and smiling shyly, looking at his feet so Frank wouldn’t notice.

“I remember almost every detail from that day. It was the day I met someone special, how can I forget it?” Frank was smiling, and his eyes looked fixated on something far in the horizon, which made Gerard understand that he was reminiscing someone.

“Yeah…” Gerard knew Frank was referring to Jamia, and a wave of jealousy traveled through his whole body. _Stop it Gerard!_ He thought to himself. “So, what did you want to talk about? I doubt it was about Pete!” Gerard chuckled nervously, as they entered Frank’s apartment.

“You’re totally right, I should get to the point.” Frank seemed to be talking to himself, and not to Gerard, kind of like a personal pep talk, to convince himself to do something he was dreading to do. “I was wondering if you and Lindsey were okay? As a couple I mean.”

“Why do you want to know that?” Gerard was uncertain where Frank was going with it. Gerard knew where he was going, as he headed for the couch to sit down. His legs had been trembling and he felt the ache in them becoming unbearable every minute he had to stand.

“It’s just that… I think I found someone else. I thought the experiment had worked at first, but now there’s someone constantly on my mind, and it’s not Jamia. I was wondering if you felt something similar at some point, or it was just with me that it failed.”

Frank made some coffee as soon as they arrived at his place, and quickly read in Gerard’s face that he wanted some too. Right now, Gerard was focused on sipping on his cup and trying to figure out what to tell Frank.

_You could tell him you like him, right now, it would only hurt at first, like ripping off a Band-Aid. How would you start? “Oh hey, I’ve been thinking and I kind of like you, I mean, you’re all that I can think of, day and night, and I want you to say you like me too!” Grow up Gerard, he’ll never say that. Maybe you should lie to him, it would be easier to forget him if he continues his relationship with Jamia or with the mysterious person he seems to be interested in._

Gerard’s inner argument was going for too long now, or at least he deduced, after coming back to earth and looking at Frank’s face, who seemed worried.

“Are you alright? You seem conflicted, is everything ok?”

“Yeah, umm…” Gerard decided to not lie to him. But he didn’t want to tell all the truth right away. “I know what you mean. I’ve had second thoughts too. But I don’t think we failed the experiment. It was to bring a temporary feeling of closeness to the subjects, and when you see it like that, it worked.”

Then it hit him. The experiment worked for him too, as he felt close to Lindsey, but not in love with her. The temporary feeling of closeness had faded away as soon as he met the one he was meant to be with. The connection was there, Gerard only had to find out if Frank felt the same way. And that wasn’t going to be easy.

“You’re right, I feel close to her, but I don’t feel in love with her, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to hurt her…”

“I don’t want to intrude, but if you’re not happy about something in your life, then you should change it. Life is too short to worry about being happy instead of actually doing something about it.”

Gerard could literally hear the hypocrisy coming out of his mouth. He gave Frank an excellent advice, and yet, one he wasn’t following, even though he needed to. And badly.

“You’re absolutely right, Gerard.” Frank smiled, and Gerard quickly looked away, making Frank feel a bit rejected. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You said you were having second thoughts too. Did you do something about it?”

“Uh, no, not yet. I mean… I don’t want to break-up with Lindsey, at least, not until I’m sure about everything.”

“I understand.” Frank seemed disappointed. “Do you think it’ll take long before you’re sure?”

“I don’t know, why?”

“N-no reason, it’s j-just that… I feel a little overwhelmed, and to know you are going through the same makes it easier to deal with. I wanted to know if it was fast for you too, or if it was just with me.”

“I really don’t know. They’re two different and incomparable situations.” Gerard seemed rough with his words, as he was trying to keep a façade. Frank believed him and dropped the issue. The last thing he wanted was to get on Gerard’s bad side.

“Oh, okay…” Gerard saw the look on Frank’s face and immediately knew he was making a mistake.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, it’s just that, I have a lot on my mind, and sometimes I come across as harsh, when it’s just from stress. I apologize.”

“Uh, it’s okay, I probably shouldn’t ask such personal questions.”

“I don’t mind, today was just not a good time. I think I should go now, Mikey is waiting for me to have dinner.”

“I see. Well, thank you so much, you helped me a lot, I was not sure about what to do, but I am now. Someone who gives advice this good is someone I need to keep close. We should hang out one of these days, you know? When you have everything figured out…”

“Yeah, sure!” Gerard wanted to say no, but somehow he had agreed. There it goes the chance of forgetting Frank. That wasn’t meant to happen, and Gerard was slowly accepting it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you probably hate me right now for delaying their relationship, but I'd love it if you kept reading the fic and not get mad at me xD


	11. Friendship or love?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey scolds Gerard, because Gerard is kind of an indecisive coward. And Pete wants pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you're probably still pretty mad about not having their relationship right away, but there's sooo much more to tell before that happens, I'm so excited!!! But also...
> 
> I'm having a meltdown right now, because college starts on Monday and I'm nowhere near finished with this fic. I know how I want it to end, but I just can't write it. Because I'm a sad little cat lady, I have no idea how love truly works, and I have to mimic every feeling they have, and it never seems good enough. I'm hoping this uncertainty will fade away soon, as I want to finish this in a near future to avoid keeping you waiting for huge periods of times due to assignments and shit. If, for some reason, it happens, I apologize in advance.
> 
> Sorry for that personal unburdening, thank you for reading and I'd love it if you left a comment or a kudos!! :)

Gerard left Frank’s place with only one thought in his mind: _I’m screwed_. He spent an hour and half with the guy and was almost fainting due to lack of oxygen. He forgot to breathe every now and then, or maybe it was just Frank’s smile playing tricks on Gerard. Whatever it was, it made Gerard feel light, like he was levitating, and by the time he got outside to go home, he could barely walk, wanting to get away as fast as he could, but wanting to turn back at the same time. The connection was definitely there.

He didn’t feel conflicted anymore. He did like Frank, he was sure now, at least about that. He still had no clue if Frank liked him back, but he didn’t want to be with Jamia, which gave Gerard a shot, if he took the mysterious unknown lover out of the picture. He also knew he had to let Lindsey go, as he had no right to keep her to himself if he wanted a relationship with another person. That was ultimately what hurt Gerard the most. He had grown close to Lindsey, and had no desire to lose her, but he knew there was no way to keep her and Frank both around. He had to choose.

* * *

 

“Oh thank God! You got me so scared!” Mikey stormed into the apartment.

“W-what?” Gerard almost fell down from Mikey’s tight and unexpected hug.

“We were worried about you! Couldn’t you pick up your fucking phone?”

“My… I didn’t hear it, I don’t even know where it is, I must have misplaced it, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you get us worried like that again, I was this close to calling the morgue!” Pete held his fingers near Gerard’s face “Now, where’s the pizza?”

“I’m glad to know that you get worried enough to call the morgue before a hospital, and that you immediately think of pizza afterwards. There’s no pizza by the way.”

“What?!?! Mikey, you promised!”

“Yeah, sorry, I thought he would have ordered some. Check the fridge, he might have some leftover pizza.” – Pete went off to the kitchen, and Mikey spoke quietly to Gerard – “If I didn’t tell him that, he wouldn’t come with me to help find you, sorry about that.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry, I didn’t even remembered to call you, please don’t be mad at me.” – Gerard knew Mikey got really worried, he always got like that when it came to his big brother, and he couldn’t apologize enough to compensate Mikey’s evening of anxiousness.

“I forgive you if you tell me what happened there. Did you tell him?”

“Uh, no.”

“Dammit Gerard, you had to, come on… What did you talk about then?”

“He needed help with something, and I was the only one who could help.”

“I thought you said you weren’t close.”

“We are not. We were not. I mean, I was the only one who could understand his dilemma, so he asked me for help.”

“Help? For what?”

“He… He’s having second thoughts about Jamia, and he said he liked someone else, and wanted to know if I was too…”

“That’s great! You told him, right?”

“Uhh…”

“Right?!?!?!”

“Kind of…”

“I’m out of here, or else I’m punching you.”

Mikey started to walk away, towards the door, while Gerard sat on the couch, watching him and starting to look for the remote to turn on the TV.

“What the hell do you mean “kind of”?!”

Mikey had a change of heart and returned to the armchair facing Gerard, where he had been sitting just thirty seconds ago. Gerard sighed and turned on the TV, it always felt natural to have it on, and he was somehow missing it at the moment.

“I told him that it happened to me too, but I left out the part that I liked him.”

“Fucking hell.” Mikey slouched down on his chair and was now facing the ceiling, trying his hardest to keep calm and not blow up there. He knew Gerard had a real shot of being happy with Frank, and it killed him to see his brother still miserable. “Did he at least tell you who he liked?”

“No. I wish I knew.”

A silence then settles in the room, and both Gerard and Mikey stare at the TV, still in mute, while Pete was finishing raiding the fridge. Suddenly, a loud beeping noise cuts the silence, and Mikey shuffles around in his seat. Gerard notices it’s just his phone ringing, and goes back to watching the news. The world was a mess, but Gerard couldn’t care less.

“You’ll never gonna believe this.”

“What?” Pete talked with his mouth full, as he sat next to Gerard.

“Gerard is calling me.”

“What? Answer dammit!” Gerard shouted, and Mikey quickly pressed the green button.

“Hello?”

_“Mikey? It’s Frank, Gerard left his phone at my place, could he come pick it up soon? Lindsey has been calling him non-stop, I think it may be serious.”_

“Yeah, sure, he’ll be there in a minute.” Mikey hung up, and was immediately bombarded with questions from Gerard.

“Who was it? Did someone steal my phone? Where am I going?”

“Calm down, Frank has your phone, you left it at his place, no one stole it. But he did say Lindsey has been calling you non-stop. You’re going to his place right now to get it, and it wasn’t that bad of an idea if you told him the truth too…”

“No, Mikey, please, I beg of you, go fetch it for me. I can’t face him again, not now. Please.”

Gerard had a desperate look on his face, and Mikey thought about it for a second, ultimately giving in to his brother’s implorations. He had a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is not the right fandom, but I'm in love with BMTH's new album, there, I said it.


	12. I was thinking the same thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's break-up season around here...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow I'm leaving for college, and I don't know if I can update. I'll try my best and do some work in the morning, but I can't promise anything.
> 
> Also, for some reason, I decided to post this fic on Mibba. I'm still trying to understand it, as I prefer AO3, but for a first timer, I think it went okay...

Mikey had been walking for 15 minutes now, revising his plan over and over again. Pretty simple, he’d get there, try to talk to Frank a little bit and figure out what his brother couldn’t. To Mikey it was always easy to read people, and he even convinced a few of his little cousins he could actually read minds.

Sometimes he was so accurate, people started to avoid eye contact and basic social interactions with him, because they felt his piercing eyes reading them and it freaked them out. He still remembers the old bat of a neighbor they used to have, back in New Jersey, who called the priest to their house to kick the demon out of him. She honestly thought Mikey was the demon’s child because of his “abilities”, and stormed into their house demanding to see and purify the spawn of Satan. His mom stepped in just in time to end the old-lady’s madness, claiming he could be the demon child, but only when he didn’t do his homework or when he would throw a tantrum, demanding a cup of coffee for breakfast, even though he wasn’t old enough to drink it. The lady eventually moved, claiming she couldn’t live near the Devil, and the trauma that woman gave him it’s one of the reasons Mikey still won’t trust priests or go into any church now.

He shivered, not only from the night’s cold, but from the memories from that story, and sighed at the sight of Frank’s house. Gerard had given him a very detailed description, and Mikey understood he had to had spent some time looking at it, probably because he was torn between returning to Frank’s house or going to his own. He didn’t need to ring the downstairs bell, because someone had left the door unlocked, and he climbed the staircase until the very last floor.

He rang the doorbell and heard Frank pacing around the house. He opened the door, with a smile that quickly faded, but returned in a smaller shape, hinting a slight disappointment.

“Oh! Mikey… Come in. Make yourself at home.”

“Thank you.” Mikey said as he entered and sat in a nearby couch.

“I thought Gerard would be picking up his phone…”

“Yeah, but he felt a little bit under the weather, I think he may be falling down with the flu or something.”

“Oh, he seemed fine when he left.”

“Gerard is very prone to get ill, it can happen in minutes.” Mikey lied. Other than his depression, it was a rare occasion that he got sick, but fake-sick? He got one of those every time he didn’t want to leave the house, whether he didn’t want to go to work, or if he didn’t want to face a potential lover and soulmate.

“That makes two of us.” Frank chuckled shyly, and quickly changed his expression to a sad one, which got Mikey curious.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to talk to Gerard. But I can call him later, it wasn’t important.” Frank was looking at his hands nervously, and Mikey had noticed his eyes were bloodshot and puffy, probably from crying.

“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to be meddling, but you look like shit, no offense. I can tell you’ve been crying. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, nothing. I just… broke up with my girlfriend, you know? And I didn’t want to hurt her, but there’s no easy way to do it. I just like someone else and I couldn’t hurt her anymore.” Small tears started to run through his cheeks.

 _Just like Gerard,_ Mikey thought to himself.

“And Gerard said he was going through the same shit, I wish he wasn’t sick, because I really needed him right now.”

“I see.” Mikey knew then that Gerard wasn’t wrong about the connection. Frank seemed to be as in love with Gerard as Gerard was with Frank. He didn’t need to say it. Mikey saw it in his eyes. “But you did the right thing. It can hurt now, but it could hurt a lot more if you waited any longer. Try to maintain a friendship with her, but give her some time to see you did the best to both of you.”

“You’re right. You and Gerard are awesome at giving advice.”

“He is, but when it comes to following it, he’s a damn hypocrite.”

* * *

 

Mikey left Frank’s house thinking he had to get them together, no matter what. They were meant to be, they just needed a little help to admit their feelings to each other. Mikey knew what to do.

He went back to Gerard’s house to give him his phone, but said nothing about Frank’s break-up. It wasn’t his place to tell him about it, and quickly grabbed Pete’s hand to get home.

“You’re in a hurry…”

“Yeah, I have to fuck with Pete.”

“What?”

“I’m horny and I want to go home to be with Pete.”

“Iuuc, for real Mikey? I didn’t need to know that!”

”You asked.”

“I didn’t!”

“I had to tell you anyways.”

“No, I don’t think you had…”

“I kind of had… That’s for putting me up to deal with your fuck ups.”

“Goodbye!”

Gerard slammed the door, but Mikey knew he didn’t held a grudge. As soon as the door closed Pete asked:

“What are you hiding behind that smile? Aren’t we fucking?”

“Oh, we are, I just need to do something for Gerard first. You’re helping me too. Frank loves him. Let’s get them together.”

* * *

 

_“Hello?”_

“Lindsey! I’m so sorry for not picking up the phone. I left it at Fr… Mikey’s house! He only brought it to me now.”

_“Save it Gerard, you’re a terrible liar. I can’t believe you did this.”_

“What?”

_“Frank and Jay. They broke up. She’s been crying non-stop and it’s because of you!”_

“Me?!?!”

_“Yeah, Frank said you both have been having second thoughts about us, and guess who gave Frank a terrible advice? It wasn’t me, I’m sure of that!”_

“I… I just told him he should be happy, instead of being miserable for liking someone else. He was just going to hurt her more if he dragged it!” Gerard knew he felt the same way, and couldn’t drag this any longer either.

_“I can’t believe you did this Gerard. And you’re having second thoughts too? Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you were different Gerard. I really did.”_

“I’m not cheating on you, if that’s what you’re thinking. I just, wasn’t sure about what I felt, but I am now.”

_“What is that supposed to mean?”_

“I don’t think we should see each other again.”

_“Great, because I was thinking the same thing! Goodbye Gerard.”_

“Goodbye!”

Gerard hung up violently and searched for his sketchpad. It always seemed to help him relax and cool off, so he could deal with it in his perfect mind. As he opened it, he noticed the new issue of “Lindsey, The Mistress of Time” he had been working on. He couldn’t continue it anymore. He had to make room for a new muse, and he had a pretty good idea of who could it be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you know how embarrassing it is to ask your dad to buy the new Kerrang! issue off of e-bay, because you have no credit/debit card or Kerrangs available in stores? Because I do -.-


	13. An unexpected call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard is meant to be given an interview, but it turns out to be something else. Something (un)expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the comments from yesterday, I was on the verge of tears while reading them, you're the nicest people I've ever met, I love you all!!! (And also, this fic reached 50+ likes, which makes me sound very lame, but I never thought it would, really, I can't thank you enough!!!)
> 
> I know it's short, but I just spent four and half hours on a bus. I was seriously questioning my mental health after it. All I know is that "Planetary (Go!)" has been playing on loop since I got home, and it kind of gave me the energy to write this. I think I got even crazier from it.
> 
> About the updates, I'm really not sure when can I make them, but I'm almost 100% sure they won't be daily, I'm sorry about that. Blame college.

It had been two months since the experiment and Gerard had barely spoken to Frank. He avoided him, because he felt guilty, as Lindsey’s words kept replaying in his head, and he found it hard to accept, that Frank and Jay were broken up for any other reason than his advice.

He received an unexpected call one afternoon, as he was drawing Frank. He tried to draw every tattoo he could remember, but he hadn’t spent enough time with him to remember them all. “Lindsey, The Mistress of time” had its last issue after the break-up, where Lindsey died with a broken heart, just like the real one felt, so Gerard had to turn his drawings to something, or someone else.

“Hello?”

_“Hello? Am I speaking to Gerard Way?”_

“Yes it’s me. Who is it?”

_“Hi, Mr. Way, I’m Doctor Jonathan Miller, from the Neuroscience lab where you performed that experiment for us.”_

“Hello, Dr. Miller, how can I help you?”

_“Well Mr. Way, we were wondering if you could come back here and let us conduct an interview with you. We like to invite former participants after a couple of months, so we can have a more accurate set of statistics. Would you be interested in it?”_

“Uhh, sure, I don’t see why not.”

_“Great, we are holding the interview next Friday, around four, is that okay with you?”_

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

_“Perfect. Thank you Mr. Way.”_

* * *

__

Friday, at four p.m., Gerard found himself in the lab where it all began. He felt nervous, because he knew he was bound to find Lindsey there. After all, they did it on the same day, so the interview had to be at the same time. It seemed obvious, and Gerard dreaded that confrontation. They’d never seen each other again and he feared the bottled up emotions they could have. He sighed and entered the building, looking for Dr. Miller, who quickly showed up to guide Gerard through the endless rows of labs and meeting rooms.

“So, Mr. Way, how are you? Let’s go to my office.”

“Please call me Gerard, and I’m fine, thank you.”

“Okay then, Gerard. Can I offer you something?”

“I’ll take coffee, if you have it.”

“Sure, I’ll go get it for you.”

Gerard looked around. They were alone in the office, and he had no sight of Lindsey. Thank God, he could calm himself now.

“Here you go.” The doctor closed the door and sat in his chair, facing Gerard. “So, I’ll be asking pretty straightforward questions, this part shouldn’t take long.”

_This part?_ , thought Gerard.

“Let’s start then. Did you maintain contact with your experiment partner, after the test?”

“Yes.”

“Did you maintain a friendship or a romantic relationship with her?”

“A romantic one.”

“Do you still continue to date her?”

“No. I fell for someone else. It was unexpected.”

“Are you dating at the moment?”

“No.” Gerard’s face turned sad, as he thought of Frank. He couldn’t believe how much he missed the guy, despite the fact they never really bonded.

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry to hear that. I hope we can make it up to you.”

“Uhhh, what? Why?”

“You see, we have a similar case to yours, and we would like to partner you up, just so we can study the case of two people who admittedly feel in love with someone else, but can still be close to other people. Would you mind doing it?”

“Hell, what do I have to lose now? Let’s do it.”

“Great! Follow me.”

Gerard followed the doctor, who reminded him of the procedure. Gerard still remembered some things, and got distracted again by the labs as the doctor spoke along the way to their room.

Dr. Miller opened the door and showed Gerard his seat, as they waited for his partner to show up.

Gerard felt nervous again, as he imagined Lindsey on the other chair, and memories were starting to take the best of him. Suddenly, the door opened, making Gerard jump, both in scare and excitement. His partner left Gerard breathless, because it was someone who had already stolen his heart.

It wasn’t Lindsey. It wasn’t the bitch either.

It was Frank.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come on, how could I miss the chance to write something like this involving these two? xD


	14. Getting started

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They start doing the experiment. The right way, this time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm sorry, but I have to get this off my chest, I fucking hate the school system, I really do. I went to classes yesterday, but somehow managed to have the astounding amount of zero classes, as the teachers decided to give not one, not two, but three extra days off. This would be awesome, if they actually told us before we got there. So, instead of being home writing at peace, I'm already here, killing time, grrr. But on the other hand, I may be able to keep this fic going regularly for a little while longer. Okay, rant over.
> 
> Also, yesterday, my friends (yeah, in college I'm social af, I have like three friends) threw me a late surprise birthday party, as they didn't see me on the actual day, and when I got there they were playing MCR, not knowing that I'm a die hard fan. I had to control every cell in my body to stop myself from spilling out everything I know about them, because that would come across as stalkerish, which may not be entirely inaccurate. I actually felt like a stalker researching for these chapters. Sorry (not sorry)
> 
> Finally, this is my favorite chapter so far, enjoy! :)

“Frank?!”

“Gerard?!”

“You know each other?”

“Not very well, but yeah, kind of.” Frank was talking to the doctor, but his eyes were fixated on Gerard, flashing a huge smile towards him.

“Well, let’s take care of it now!” Dr. Miller was smiling too, shuffling around his papers to find the questions for them. “Here they are. One for you and one for you.”

Frank had sat in the chair facing Gerard, and neither had stopped gazing at each other nor smiling. If someone were to enter the room at that moment, one would see two people finishing the experiment and madly in love with each other. But no, it was just getting started.

“You both know the drill, no skipping questions, be truthful and don’t worry about time, say whatever you like. Gerard, would you like to start?”

“Uhh, sure.” Gerard was still staring at Frank and he didn’t even realized he had an experiment to do. He got lost in his eyes, but in his defense, it’s hard not to. “ **Question 1 – Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?** ”

Gerard thought about it and answered. He was going to speak from the heart, and he wouldn’t let himself be distracted by Frank. It was going to be hard, but Gerard was concentrated. He didn’t want to mess up again.

“I think I would like David Bowie to be my guest. I love his songs, and his sass gives me life.”

“Great choice, but I’ll go with Paul McCartney. He’s a great musician and inspiration, and also a vegetarian. That’s really important when you’re out for dinner with someone!”

Gerard smiled, and Frank smiled back. It was only the first question and they were already falling in love with each other.

“Frank, it’s your turn.” said Dr. Miller.

“Oh, right! **Question 2 - Would you like to be famous? In what way?** Uhhh, I would. I mean, I would like my band to be famous, I want people to enjoy my music, and if I happen to get fame from it, so be it. But ultimately, I care more if the people like my music, and not if they want my autograph. I don’t know, it can go both ways. I think it depends on what kind of people listen to my music, because in the end, they decide if I’m famous or not.”

“I feel the same way about it. I’d like it if people read my comics and be interested in my art work, but other than that, I don’t need fame. I’m happy with having few people around me, as long as they’re trustworthy and treat me like I deserve.”

They thought alike, and to Gerard the connection seemed more real than ever. He couldn’t let Frank go without telling him his true feelings.

“ **Question 3 - Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?** I must confess, I do, sometimes, when it’s really important. I always do that before an important meeting or date because I’m afraid of getting too nervous. It can result in an awkward silence, and I hate that. But when I call Mikey, or my mom I don’t.”

Frank giggled. Gerard wasn’t sure, but it sounded a lot like heaven.

“What?” Gerard laughed too.

“Did you do that before our dinner?”

“I may have prepared a few topics, but for your information, I didn’t use them.” Gerard answered back, using some of his personal sass in the answer.

“Are you serious? I never thought of you being so awkward…” Frank was laughing, not in a mocking way, but in a cute, I-can’t-believe-you-did-it-for-me kind of way.  “Well, I don’t do it, I’m bad at rehearsed scenarios, and I rather deal it when time comes. Life can’t be planned.”

Dr. Miller had been taking notes from the beginning, and he realized Gerard was shy, and avoided confrontations at all costs, while Frank was the complete opposite. It could work, or it could fail. He needed to listen to more answers.

“ **Question 4 - What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?** Uhhh, I guess I’d like to spend it with the one I love.”

“Doing what?” Dr. Miller asked.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as it’s with that special someone, I don’t care.” As he said this, he looked Gerard in the eyes for what it seemed like an eternity, and it would have been, if Gerard hadn’t looked away, blushing, after five seconds.

“I’m with Frank. Uh, not during the day! The perfect day I mean! Uhh…” Gerard was mixing up all his words and Frank chuckled. He loved the effect he seemed to have on Gerard. Frank was just unsure about the reason behind that nervousness. He couldn’t figure out if Gerard was nervous from the experiment or from being around him. How he wished it was the latter reason. He liked the guy so much, it hurt. He couldn’t bear the thought of being wrong. After all, he did dump his girlfriend for a guy he barely knew. It’d kill him if he’d make a mistake about it. “What I mean is, I agree with Frank, but I didn’t mean to say I’d spend the day with him!”

Frank glanced at Dr. Miller and he seemed as amused by Gerard’s answer as Frank. They both chuckled to themselves, as Gerard turned as red as his hair.

“Let’s go on, shall we? Gerard, proceed.” Dr. Miller said with a mist of assertiveness and delight.

“ **Question 5 - When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?** Uhhh…” Gerard wanted to lie, but then he decided against it. He wanted to know Frank, and wanted him to know who he really was, and he wouldn’t if he lied. “The last time I sang to myself was probably when I was getting ready to get here, and to someone else it was a long time ago…”

“Would you care to elaborate Gerard?” Dr. Miller said the words Frank wanted to hear.

“Uhhh, I used to sing for my grandma, she said I sang very well and if I didn’t make it as a comic book artist, she always said I could be a singer. But after she died I couldn’t anymore. It reminded me of her and to know that I won't be able to sing to her ever again just…” Gerard didn’t want to finish his sentence.

He was close to her, even closer than to his mom, and still hadn’t overcome her death completely. He was on the verge of tears, until Frank stood up, kneeled down next to Gerard and hugged him. Gerard felt sad, but he didn’t feel alone. Frank was there for him, and if it wasn’t for Dr. Miller Gerard would’ve kissed Frank right there, even if he was unsure of the guy’s intentions. Neither of them wanted to part that hug, and they wanted even less to admit their feelings for each other. It was just too soon for such a big step. Only after Dr. Miller clearing his throat did they part, with Frank rushing to his chair, while Gerard smiled and sniffled at the same time.

“Well, it’s okay Gerard, I didn’t think it would be so painful for you to talk about it, and I apologize. Frank, please answer.”

“No, wait! I just wanted to say that there’s no need to apologize, this supposedly makes people feel closer to each other, and it means a lot to me to talk about it, so, I don’t mind the question. I want Frank to know me. All of me. The good and the bad things.” Gerard’s eyes were red, from his shy tears, but inside he felt fine, and he was even grinning, in no other direction than Frank’s.

“And I will know, I promise.” Frank smiled back, with a reassuring look in his eyes and an urgent need to hold Gerard’s hands. “About the question, I sing to myself in the shower, in the car, you know, the usual. To other people, the last time was Wednesday, when we played a gig in a bar. I’d love it if you come see us sometime. Uhhh, you too Dr. Miller.”

“I’d like that, Frank.”

“Me too. I’d love to hear you sing.” Gerard answered while his heart melted. Could it be that Frank was actually asking him out on a date? He was 99 per cent sure he was, but the little doubt remained there. Right now he was only sure of one thing, and one thing only: _Someday I’ll sing for you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, this is not the whole experiment, it's composed of 36 questions. Again, this is a real life experiment, there's a whole paper about it, but I had nothing to do with it. I know how hard it is to research and write a paper, and I have absolutely no intention of claiming it as mine. 
> 
> (Also, for the people who commented about my Kerrang! issue, my dad order it yesterday, and will arrive at the end of the month. Yay, I'm so happy, and thank you for your comments!! :D)


	15. Frank would be a sexy ass grandma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They continue the first set of questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who would make a sexier grandma?

“ **Question 6 - If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?** ” Frank took a moment to answer, despite knowing the answer instantly after reading the question. He got lost in Gerard’s words, and could only think of taking him out, to see his band, and write him a song, heck, write him a whole album, and love that man forever. They had 30 questions to go, and they seemed endless. Frank decided this was the best way to get to know Gerard fast, so he could have a reason to justify his love for him, and to do so he had to sit still and answer the questions. It didn’t seem that hard, but if you could see Gerard through Frank’s eyes you wouldn’t sit still either.

“I guess I’d prefer the body. It’s easier to tattoo and they say you get wiser as you age, so why giving up on that?”

“I’d prefer the body too. Not to tattoo, ‘cause I’m… I’m afraid of needles, but it’s prettier, and better to draw.” Gerard blushed, as he was afraid that Frank had picked up the hint he dropped about drawing him. His tattoos were mesmerizing and would look amazing on paper, especially if Frank maintained his 30-year old body forever. “And also, at 30 years old we still have a lot to learn. With a 90 year old mind we’d escape nearly every obstacle life would throw at us.”

Dr. Miller noticed they had a lot in common, and neither of them seemed to be lying to please the other. This really was a match made in heaven.

“Gerard, please, read the next question.”

“ **Question 7 - Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?** I never thought about it, but if it isn’t from Mikey’s deathly sarcasm, it’s probably from my depression. Although I’m on my meds, I can relapse at any time, and honestly, it kind of scares me.”

“I’ll be a wrinkly, old bat of a grandma before I let you relapse.”

Gerard couldn’t contain his laughter at the thought of Frank being a grandma, and sighed in relief. The guy was proving to be perfect, always being there for him when he needed him, and giving place on his face to a smile where once the saddest of frowns was. Gerard couldn’t be wrong. He just couldn’t.

“As much as I’d hate to relapse, I’d love to see you as a grandma.”

“I’d be one sexy ass grandma.”

“Yes, yes you would.”

_Fuck. Did I really just said that? What were you thinking?Oh shit, you messed up Gerard._ Gerard tried to remain calm, but it was hard with these kind of thoughts in his mind. Frank seemed speechless for a second, but quickly regained his breath and said:

“We both would.”

_Fuck, he can’t be flirting. Oh god, he is. Calm down, don’t jump to his lap just yet. We’re still missing…29!!! Fucking hell, I won’t be able to contain myself if he does it again. Breathe Gerard, just breathe. In. Out. In. Out._

Dr. Millerloved to see them flirtatious towards each other, but hated being the third wheel, and quickly stepped in.

“Uhh, so guys, this is kind of a research to bring you closer, not to see who would make a sexier grandma, so please, let’s move on.”

“For the record, you’d make a fine ass grandma too doc.”

“Only fine? Damn, I always thought my ass was better than just fine. Just let Frank answer.” Said the doctor, amused by Gerard’s comeback.

“I’ll probably die from lung cancer, from smoking, or maybe I’ll fall off a stage. I don’t know, but my money is on those.”

Frank cleared his throat and started to read the next question.

 “ **Question 8 - Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.** He seems to be awesome, I know I am. I’m kidding, the “me” part, you’re pretty damn awesome. But in common, we’re both huge nerds, we’re both artists and we dress in black, so I’m assuming we might be in the same scene.”

“Frank seems to be kind, and he cares so much about others. I do too, sometimes even more than with myself, and Frank and I seemed similar in that aspect. And we both make some sexy ass grandmas. There, all three.”

“All three indeed.” _And in love with each other?_ Dr. Miller thought to himself, as he was laughing. “Care to read the next one Gerard?”

“ **Question 9 - For what in your life do you feel most grateful?** Mikey, without a doubt. He helped me so much, no one has ever done half what he has done to help me. Mikey is my brother, doc.”

“I figured. Frank?”

“Uhhh, my mom. She was given another chance to live, and I’m forever grateful for that. She’s a fantastic lady, and if I was to lose her I don’t know what I would do with my life. I wasn’t ready to let her go, and I’m grateful I didn’t have to.”

“Perfect answers. Frank, read the next.”

“ **Question 10 - If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?** I wished I had my father around. My parents divorced when I was young, so I never knew what it really meant to have a father.”

“That’s why your mom is so important…”

“Yeah… I also wished I had a different family. They can be so stubborn about some things, it pisses me off beyond belief.” Frank sighed, having lost the smile on his face, but regaining it at the sight of Gerard. “And you?”

“I don’t think I’d change anything. I wished I had spent more time with my grandma though. You never really appreciate someone until they’re gone. I think that’s all.”

“Okay, please read the next one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a short chapter, but it's because it was originally meant to be one big chapter, I just had to divide it in two shorter chapters. The other part of it will be posted soon, probably tomorrow.


	16. Life Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finish the first set of questions, sharing their life stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This just reached 1000 hits and I couldn't be happier!! Thank you all for reading, for the kudos and for the comments. There are so many kittens loving you right now! :)

“ **Question 11 -Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.** Ufff, doc, are you serious?”

“More than ever, Gerard.”

“Well, I was born in Jersey, I have a brother named Mikey, and my parents are Donna and Donald. I’m Italian and Scottish, but I’ve never been in either countries. I always wanted to be an artist, and my dream is to create a successful comic book series. I wrote some minor books already, but nothing very successful so far. I went to Art school in New York, and I’ve been offered a job there not long after I graduated. I declined and went back home, because I wanted to marry my girlfriend, who I met in college, and she had a job there in Jersey. We were together for six years, I proposed to her and we even talked about having children and stuff. Then I found out she… she had cheated on me, with several guys, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t take it.” Gerard said, feeling his heart clenching in pain and anger, but being able to hold the tears. “I broke up with her and it got me into a state of depression. It took me a while to get back on my feet, until I received a job offer from a major comic book studio in New York, so I accepted and moved out of that toxic place. I got better emotionally, but was never able to feel in love again, and then Mikey wanted me to try this. I did, fell in love with Lindsey, or so I thought, broke up with her and I am here now, because you wanted an interview, but somehow I ended up here with Frank.” Gerard let out a grin, feeling better after reviewing all of his life and noticing how far he had come.

“You broke up with Lindsey?”

“Uh, yeah. Remember when she was calling me non-stop? I called her afterwards and she told me you and Jamia had broken up. I was having second thoughts too, so I took the chance and ended it. In retrospective, it probably wasn’t the best timing, but it was a mutual decision, so…”

Frank’s face lighted up for a second, until he remembered he wasn’t supposed to be that happy about it.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t. Be happy. For me, please?” Gerard made sure to use Frank’s words from their first encounter, words he seemed to recognized, as he shyly smiled and nodded.

“Frank? Tell yours now.”

“Ummm, I was also born in Jersey, on October 31st, my mom is named Linda and my dad is Frank Iero senior, and I’m Italian too. I have no siblings, but I do have a childhood best friend, Ray, who I always considered family. I have to introduce you two sometime. As a kid I was always sick, I have tons of food allergies and stuff, so I decided to become a vegetarian early on. I went to college in Jersey, but I eventually dropped out, it just wasn’t my thing, you know? Now I’m a bartender, but my dream is to have a successful band. I was part of some bands in Jersey whilst growing up, but they all came to a dead end, so my friend and I decided to come to New York, searching for better opportunities in the industry. We assembled a band, but it still hasn’t really reached that point we can live off of it, so I have a job to pay the bills, and on my free time I play gigs with them. I sing, play the guitar, the bass and in a pinch, the drums. About past relationships, I had a few, but it was never serious, because I always gave more importance to my band, and they could never understand.”

_Maybe they just weren’t special enough_ , thought Gerard.

“Then I saw the ad for this experiment, I tried it, and it worked for a while, but… umm… I liked someone else and broke up with my experiment partner. The person I like now will understand, I’m positive.” Frank said as he shared a grin with Gerard.

“Yes, she will.”

“Yeah, _she_ …” Frank scoffed. He chuckled to himself as Gerard was wondering what he was trying to say. It really wasn’t that hard to understand, but Gerard just couldn’t believe it. The hottest guy he had ever seen was sitting in front of him, being flirtatious and practically admitting he liked guys as well. Stars were aligning for Gerard, there was no other explanation.

“Uh, can you read the last question from this set Frank?” Dr. Miller was watching Gerard practically drooling after Frank’s statement, and quickly tried to keep the experiment going and finally reach some success.

“ **Question 12 - If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?** I know it sounds stupid, but I wished I could control time. My life is so frantic right now, I would just stop it and get some sleep.”

“That would be so cool!” Gerard started to think about the millions of things he could do with that ability, and almost forgot he too had a question to answer. He only remembered after seeing Dr. Miller’s enquiring eyes. “Uhhh, I don’t know… Sometimes I wish I could be more confident about myself. Sometimes I leave important things unsaid, and it has cost me too much of my life already.”

_I can’t let Frank be a part of it._ Gerard thought, as Dr. Miller excitedly announced they would begin the next set of questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a short chapter. Next ones should be longer.


	17. Truth about yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharing things isn't always easy... But being in love helps doing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry for taking so long writing this, I meant to have it finished by Friday, but my mom "demanded" I'd go home to go on a weekend vacation with my family. Not only was I incapable of bringing my laptop, I was only "dragged" to places without wi-fi, meaning I couldn't access this work at all. Anyways, I tried to compensate a little by giving you a bigger chapter, but I'm giving you a heads-up now, this will have slower updates from now on, because the teachers decided that we shouldn't have any more vacations, and are now giving classes at full speed. They started today, and I already have a paper due in two weeks. Yay college!

“We finished the first set. Let’s head on to the second one, Gerard, please start.”

“ **Set II,** **Question 13 - If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?** I think I’d want to know if I was wrong about… breaking up with Lindsey. It’s something I did based on a hunch, and I still don’t know if I did the right thing.”

“A wise man said if someone wasn’t happy, he should change all he could so he could be happy. I think you did the right thing.”

“I think so too.”

The flirting was getting more and more obvious, and ultimately Dr. Miller was the one who wanted to finish the experiment the sooner, so he could stop being the third wheel once and for all.

“Frank, do you mind…?”

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, sure.” Frank was startled and didn’t even remember the question. He took a moment, to refocus, and answer at last. “I also took a hunch about my love life, and I’d like to see if I’m right.” Frank sighed and then it hit him. “And my band! I wish I could see if it’s going anywhere or if I should quit while I still have time to assemble a new one. I think that’s all. Oh, and also, if zombies take over the world or what, I’ve always been curious about that.”

Gerard chuckled at Frank’s answer, because for a punk looking guy, he really was a huge nerd, and the mix of those things made Gerard gasp for air, as it made him one step closer to being the perfect guy in his head.

“ **Question 14 - Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?** Other than my longtime dream of having a successful band, I kind of… always wanted to have kids. I don’t normally share this with people, but I’m serious, and I wanted you to know. I haven’t fulfilled it yet because I never got to meet the right person to do so.”

“It’s one of my dreams too.” Gerard was faintly blushing. “I’ll go with attending The Clarion Workshop. It’s so difficult to get in, I never got the chance to actually take it. I’m hoping I can enter it someday, it’d fulfill my lifelong dream really make a difference in my current work.”

“Go ahead Gerard, next question.”

“ **Question 15 - What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?** Being able to crawl out of that depression and build my own life, it has got to be it.”

“Mine was being able to record a small demo in New York competitive scene. It got us a contract, and we’re working our asses off to keep it! But I couldn’t be happier about it.” One could literally hear pride coming from Frank’s voice.

“ **Question 16 - What do you value most in a friendship?** I think honesty is the most essential aspect. How can you trust someone that's not truthful and honest with you? I find it impossible.”

“You’re right. Personally, I find respect the most crucial one. I can’t be friends with someone who doesn’t have the least amount of respect for me.” Gerard seemed determined with his words. He got Frank wondering if someone had crossed the line when it came to it, and by the look in his eyes, someone certainly did.

“Gerard, go on with question 17.”

“ **Question 17 - What is your most treasured memory?** Me and Mikey playing in New Jersey snow.” A sparkle appeared in Gerard’s eyes. “We used to do these snowmen, and pretend we had an army against each other, so we would throw snow balls at them, trying to knock down the arms, the nose, and sometimes the hats we made for them. It was so much fun, I wish I could have one more fight like that.”

 _You will have, I promise,_ was Frank’s mental note.

“Mine is, uh, when my father taught me how to play the guitar. I know he preferred if I played the drums, but I fell in love with the guitar. He still taught me how to play the drums, but he soon realized the guitar was my true passion, and he had no choice but to teach me the basics. Then he and my mom split and I barely saw him again. I had to learn the rest with a teacher, but deep down, I always knew no one could teach me like he did.”

Frank’s eyes filled with sadness, but he shrugged it off almost instantly, as if he was used to swallow that pain away. It sadden Gerard too, to see Frank like that, and he promised to himself he would never want to see that kind of sadness in Frank’s eyes ever again. He would do his all to prevent it from happening, because when Frank was happy, Gerard was happy. It was imperative to keep him like that.

“Frank, are you ok to proceed or do you need a moment?” Dr. Miller asked.

“I’m fine doc. **Question 18 - What is your most terrible memory?** My parents announcing their divorce, and us moving away from our hometown. It wasn’t at the same time, but put together is awful.”

Gerard was unsure if he should go and hug Frank, but Dr. Miller’s eyes indicated he should answer soon, and Gerard silently agreed, because they were half way through, and all of them wanted to go home, the doc to analyze the results, and them to sort their feelings once and for all.

“Other than my grandma dying, I have to say when I was held at gunpoint, at age 15.” Gerard looked down, hiding his eyes from Frank. “I don’t wanna talk about it, it’s long gone, and I’d hate to re-live those memories, I’m sorry.”

“I know this question is painful to answer, but remember you are here to get to know each other. You’re going to have to share things that may hurt, but it’s just how it is. I won’t force to share anything obviously, so Gerard, whenever you feel ready, read the next question.”

“ **Question 19 - If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?** I think I would go live in the woods. There’s something about the fresh air and nature that inspires me. I would also like to live as cave man, it should be so awesome.”

“I think I’d sell everything I own, quit my job and travel the world. I would take my guitar and the one I love, so I could spend every moment I had doing what I love, with who truly matters. But only after I left a mark, you know? I want to be remembered for making the world a better place through my music, that is really important to me.”

“Okay Frank, please read the next question.”

“ **Question 20 - What does friendship mean to you?** To me it means being there no matter what, being supportive of the person’s decisions, and always looking out for them. It’s important to have someone you can trust unconditionally, especially if you’re like me, and have no siblings to rely on.”

“I think it’s about being honest, non-judgmental and to stand by the person. And when you’re close enough, you can even read the thoughts from looking them in the eyes. Mikey does it, and despite everything, I think he’s going to be my best friend forever, because he’s always there, even if I mess up badly, he always got my back.”

“ **Question 21 - What roles do love and affection play in your life?** They have major roles. To me, knowing that you’re loved is beyond essential. I was just unlucky and had to live without it for a while. But it’s one of the biggest aspects of happiness in life.”

“I kind of disagree. I like to feel free, and to me it never really mattered. Until recently. Now, it’s also very important, but only because I know it’s the right person making me feel like this. Otherwise, I think I couldn’t care less about it.”

 _Interesting,_ thought Dr. Miller _. They are different, but seem to agree in the most crucial things, and even when they don’t, they find a way to compromise. They really are meant to be._

“ **Question 22 - Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.** Gerard is kind.”

“Frank’s funny.”

“Gerard’s an optimistic”

“Frank’s caring.”

“You’re honest.”

“You’re comfortable with yourself.”

“You’re sensitive.”

“You’re loyal.”

“You’re fierce.”

“You’re passionate.”

“I am.”

Even though Gerard’s heart skipped a beat after that unfortunate choice of words, he seemed relieved to see Frank flirting back. They were sure about each other’s intentions now, and there was no point in hiding it anymore.

“ **Question 23 - How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people’s?** My family is very close, we have lots of dinners and lunches together, especially on holidays and it really helps bringing us closer. They are very warm and open minded, and I’ve been told by friends that they feel welcome when meeting them. I love them, and even though I’m kind of a hermit myself, I always try to spend time with them, and wouldn’t have it any other way. My childhood was fairly happy, considering I had a bugger of a little brother to put up with. But even with him, I can honestly say it was happy. If it was happier than others’ I don’t know, but to me it was.

“Uh, I’m kind of the total opposite.” Frank was looking at his shoes for the first time since the experiment started. “I have a really strict family, and after my dad left many of our family members started to put us aside, like a punishment for my mom, because they said she was unable to keep her home together. Then I came out as bisexual and even more they started to keep away from us, claiming they didn’t want to have anything to do with my “kind”, and my mom snapped. She could take it when they judged her wrong, but when it came to me she just wouldn’t allow it. So she cut strings with all of our family and it was just us, and honestly I prefer that way. We love each other, and we don’t need anyone else’s opinions to be happy, at least, not from those people. So my childhood wasn’t that happy, but who made it be that way is long gone, so I don’t have to worry about them anymore.”

Frank was grinning triumphantly by the end of his answer. Even though he had never had to deal with that kind of confrontation, Gerard could definitely understand him.

“I believe it’s my turn, and also the last from this set, right doc?” Frank asked. The doctor nodded back. “ **Question 24 - How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?** Uh, really? I love her and she means the world to me. We get along great.”

“I also have a good relationship with my mother, but sometimes I wish I was closer to her. We could have more meaningful conversations, but there’s never any time for that. We rush to get home, and then time flies by, and there’s rarely time to really sit down and talk. That’s the only thing I’d change in our relationship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've said it once, and I'll say it again: I felt like such a stalker writing this.


	18. True Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They end the experiment, but it is only the beginning for them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I meant to have this ready by earlier today, but we have this mandatory army day that I had to attend yesterday, and I got home so tired that I couldn't write anything. I wrote this today, but I'm really tired, so I don't know if I can get another chapter done by tomorrow. Probably just on Saturday.
> 
> I know some of the answers are a little bit repetitive, but then again, so are the questions, sorry about that.

“So this is our last set, Gerard, do you mind starting?”

“Not at all doc.” He felt relieved from hearing that. Only 12 more questions to go and he could have Frank all to himself. “ **Set III,** **Question 25 - Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling ... “**

Gerard thought for a while, until he finally made up his mind.

“We are both feeling awkward.

We are both feeling scared.

We are both feeling happy.”

 _We sure are_ , thought Frank, and he knew Gerard could read it in his eyes.

“We are both feeling restless.

We are both feeling hopeful.

We are both feelingcomplete.”

“ **Question 26 -** **Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share ...** my music. **“**

“I wish I had someone with whom I could share ... a night under the stars.”

“Read the next one, please.”

“ **Question 27 - If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.** I think I wanted you to know that I may have my problems, but I will always make time for you, I’ll always be there for anything you need, and I’ll do everything to never disappoint you. If you’re important to me, I will damn well do everything to keep you around!”

“I guess I’d like you to know that no matter how ugly things get, you still have me, I’ll always be by your side, to support you and to make you happy.”

They couldn’t be apart. They just couldn’t.

“ **Question 28** \- **Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met.** Uhhh…” Frank was blushing.

“It’s alright Frank, just be honest.” Reassured Gerard, who was worried at Frank’s reaction.

“Gerardisreallyhot.” He said faintly.

“What? Frank, please repeat.” Both Dr. Miller and Gerard had leaned forward to hear better, as Frank turned into a not so cheery red tomato.

“Gerard is… reallyhot.”

“I’m sorry Frank, I didn’t understand again, could you speak a little louder?”

“GERARD IS REALLY HOT!” This time he shouted his lungs out. “He’s hot, and funny, and kind, and caring, and… He’s amazing and perfect, just, the best person I’ve ever met, okay?!” Frank was getting redder and redder, and was soon joined by Gerard, who usually never got compliments like that.

Dr. Miller was fighting an urge to laugh his ass off, and quickly asked Gerard to go ahead and answer.

“Uhhh… Frank is such a nerd, I love how he can look so punk and at the same time be so geeky. I like the way he giggles, it’s really cute, and his eyes are so soulful and shiny, beautiful like his smile. He’s an amazing human being, so charismatic and considerate, and I wish everyone was as understanding as he is, that would make world perfect. I love how he managed to keep calm throughout the interview, but went shy at this question, meaning he spoke from the heart, and that’s really important to me.”

Dr. Miller could read it in their eyes. They were both fighting with everything they had the urge to get up and kiss, or even do other things the Dr. didn’t really wanted to think about. He was right, this experiment couldn’t fail.

“Gerard, please read number 29…”

Gerard read silently to himself, and he quickly turn a shade of red more appropriate for the blood running feverishly through his cheeks. Frank noticed and quickly stepped in.

“I don’t mind reading the question, you’ll read mine next!” He said cheerfully.

“Uh, that’s not really the standard procedure, Frank.”

“Yeah but we’re not really standard people, are we doc?” Gerard looked Frank in the eyes with a sign of relief on his face, mumbling silently “thank you”, as Frank read the following question.

“ **Question 29 - Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.** Once in high-school, my so called friends thought it would be funny to put me inside a locker, and after they closed the door they said it was one of our other friend’s locker. So I decided to make the best of it, and scare the shit out of him. Then the door opened, it wasn’t my friend, it was one of the prettiest girls in school, I got startled and fell flat on my face, in front of the entire school. Thank God there was no YouTube yet, or else I’d be on it! I doubt yours is worse than mine…”

“I… uh… I played uhhh… Peter Pan, in 4th grade, in front of the entire school and parents. After I auditioned, my grandma was so excited for me getting the part, but I wasn’t that much, I just didn’t have the heart to tell her I wanted to quit, so I stuck with it. Then she made me this outfit, with green tights, it was so awful. I was the weird kid at my old school, and for some reason I decided that the best way to fit in the new one was by playing Peter fucking Pan. Obviously it didn’t work, the kids laughed, and I can’t even see green tights today without feeling embarrassed.”

“You must have been the best Peter fucking Pan ever, I’d pay to see that.” Frank said, in a mist of laughing and comprehension.

“Uff, **Question 30 - When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?** Probably a few days ago, both to myself and Mikey.”

Frank was dying to ask why, but everyone could see Gerard didn’t really want to talk about it.

“Uhhh, same.”

“What?”

“I also cried a few days ago, both to myself and Mikey.”

“Uhhh, how? Why? When?”

Gerard didn’t hold back the questions, which made Frank smile with the irony.

“You left your phone at my house, remember? Mikey fetched it and I had just broken up with Jay, so I wasn’t exactly in the best of places. He helped me, and it just happened… I never thought it would matter.”

“It doesn’t, it’s just that, Mikey didn’t tell me about it.” _I wonder why_ …

“I’m sure he had his reasons. Can we move on?”

“Of course, **Question 31 - Tell your partner something that you like about them already.** I like Frank’s confidence, it makes him optimistic and easy to talk to. I admire that about him… among other things.” Gerard blushed, but by this point he didn’t care anymore.

“I like Gerard’s sweetness. He doesn’t show it that much, but I’m sure he is the sweetest person in the world. The way he talks about him and others makes me believe he’s one of nicest people I’ve ever met, if not the nicest of all.”

As they complimented each other endlessly, Dr. Miller was coming to his conclusions. Five questions remained, but no doubt. It was the most perfect pair he had making the experiment, and every piece of them screamed “love” when they met each other’s eyes. They couldn’t finish the experiment soon enough.

“We’re almost done. Frank, do you mind reading the next?”

“ **Question 32 - What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?** Uhhh, I guess health and diseases. It crosses a line that should never be crossed.”

“I’m gonna go with love. I hate it when people use you just to get what they want, especially if they make you fall in love with them first. It’s the worst thing you can make a joke or a game of.”

Dr. Miller saw pain in their eyes, which meant their true emotions were showing. The experiment was working perfectly.

“ **Question 33 - If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet?** I think I would regret not telling some people that I love them, some because they’re too stubborn to hear it, and others because… Because I don’t know if they feel the same way about me. And probably because it’s too soon to tell them that anyways.”

Frank knew Gerard was referring to him, as Gerard’s eyes met the floor, and his cheeks turned red.

“I guess I never told my mom how much I appreciated her sacrifices for me. I would thank her for everything and probably would regret not telling her sooner. I also never told the one I love how I truly felt. We’ve known each other for a couple of months now, and it’s probably too soon to admit something like this, but I know we’re meant to be. I felt it right from the moment we looked at each other for the first time, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it from that point on. I’m still waiting for the right time to come clean about it, but I think it will probably be sooner than I expected… ”

“Three more to go right?” Frank asked as he grinned and sat up straight, only to slouch again on the chair, which was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute. “ **Question 34 - Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?** I would probably save my favorite guitar. I have six, but one of them is particularly special, as it belonged to my grandfather, and it’s the only thing I have that reminds me of him. It’s the very first guitar I played, and is the one that I learnt to play after my dad left. I would definitely save that.”

“I would save a painting I made for my grandma, when I was about eight or nine. She hung it on the wall and said I would go far as an artist. It inspired me to keep painting and drawing, and it ultimately made me what I am today.  After she died it was the only thing I really wanted to keep from her, and it’s still hanging in my bedroom. I feel close to her every time I look at it.”

“We’re almost done guys, let’s keep going.”

“ **Question 35 - Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?** I guess my grandma’s was the most disturbing, but in the future I think Mikey’s would be the one to take the bigger toll. I just don’t know what I would do without him, he looks after me, as I look after him, and without him, I don’t think I could make it.”

Gerard gulped as the thought made him sick, which Frank noticed and hurried to answer.

“I’m again, going to say my mom, because I wouldn’t know what to without her either. The thought of her not being there for me scares me shitless, I don’t even want to think about it, let alone let it happen.”

“Last question guys!”

 _Finally!_ They both thought.

“Frank, if you may…”

“ **Question 36 - Share a personal problem and ask your partner’s advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.** I like this guy, and I think he knows it already, but I don’t really know how to tell him, could you help me?” Frank was biting his lip.

“I think he’d like if you gave him a heartfelt speech, on every reason that you like him, because it’s really important for him to know that… And maybe a kiss, I think he’d like that.”

“And how is Frank feeling about it?”

“He may be nervous, but I’m guessing he’s even more excited about it.” Gerard couldn’t help but grin.

“He’s right, that’s exactly how I feel.”

“Gerard, can you tell Frank your problem now?”

“There’s this guy, who likes me, and I don’t know how to tell him I like him back, because I felt like I barely knew him, until recently, when we got closed in this room and asked a bunch of questions to eac…”

Frank stood up quickly, took Gerard’s face in his hands and kissed him passionately, to much of Dr. Miller’s surprise. Gerard happily returned the kiss, standing up and taking Frank’s in his arms.

“If your problem was to lecture us endlessly, I think I took care of it.” Frank giggled, as Gerard punched him softly in the arm and pressed their lips together once more.

“Uh, guys?” Dr. Miller intervened.

“Sorry, sorry.” Gerard said as he let go of Frank.

“I’m glad you like each other, but save it for another place, I don’t need to see all of this scene. I think the experiment was a success, don’t you?”

“No.”

“What?!” Frank’s smile disappeared as he looked hopeless to Gerard.

“You’re still owning me a speech on why you like me.” Frank seemed relieved and Gerard laughed at the sight. “Seriously, I don’t know what you see in me, and I’d like to know. Other than that, I think it went great.”

“Me too. I’ll give you the speech later, because right now, I have better things to do.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah…” As they kissed once more.

They left the lab ten minutes later, after finishing the whole paperwork, leaving a happy Dr. Miller behind, after another successful case. But ultimately, the happier ones walked out the door, holding hands as they headed to Gerard’s place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could've made the experiment go wrong, but honestly, I didn't have the heart to do it xD
> 
> It's missing the last part, where they look each other in the eyes, but come on, they were so in love, it didn't really need that :P


	19. The Happy Ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Behind every ounce of happiness there's an ounce of worry. Can Gerard make it all go away?

They had been walking for a while when they arrived at Gerard’s apartment. The walk there would’ve been faster, if it wasn’t for the fact that Frank couldn’t help himself but dangle in Gerard’s neck and peck his lips every thirty seconds.

“Let me open the door!” Gerard mumbled.

“No, that means I have to let go of you!”

“Well shit, then we’ll stay out here forever.”

“Sounds good. As long as I don’t have to let go of you.”

The small kisses evolved to full blown making out right at Gerard’s apartment’s front door, until they heard someone clear their throat.

“Excuse me? Can I…?”

“Sorry, Mrs. Phillips.” The guys detached from one another to let Gerard’s old neighbor pass.

The lady looked at them, and Frank knew she was about to preach them on how homosexuality was wrong, and the Lord didn’t die for this kind of sin, like he was used to hear from their family all the time. He was already flinching when she spoke:

“He has lived here for two years and I’ve never seen him with anyone. You must be special, it shows in his eyes. Take good care of him.”

“I-I... will. You have my word.” Frank promised to the old lady, which gave him that warm grandma-like grin Frank never got from his own.

Gerard took the opportunity to open the door, and invite Frank in.

“She seems nice.”

“She is. Except when I make too much noise. Then she’ll plant herself at my front door until I open and then lectures me on her sleeping habits, medication times and bathroom breaks. She’s sweet, but it’s disgusting.”

“I’d love to hear everything about that.”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.”

“Why on Earth do you want to hear that?!”

“Because it means we’re making too much noise.” Frank looked at Gerard with hungry eyes.

Gerard blushed at the thought. He hadn’t been intimate with anyone for so long, he was afraid of disappointing Frank. He didn’t know how to tell him about it, as he was scared Frank would just leave after knowing that, which made Gerard lose the smile he had worn continuously from the moment Frank had kissed him for the first time.

“Uh, yeah…”

“Is everything okay?” Frank was worried. Gerard was so happy and suddenly all his happiness had faded away.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Fuck Gerard, we’re together for one hour now and you’re already lying to me!”

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to, I just… I don’t know how to tell you…

“Tell me what? Gerard, I didn’t spend the last two fucking hours trying to keep myself sitting down and not jump on your lap for nothing! Tell me what’s wrong.”

“No! It’ll make you go away.”

“The only way I’d go away from you right now was if you were to admit you’re made of spiders. And I know you’re not, because you’re cute and non-repulsive, so tell me.”

Gerard laughed, Frank could be so weird, witty and comforting at the same time, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to get to have this guy all to himself.

“You promise?”

“I promise.” Frank held his hands and kissed his forehead.

“It’s been a long time since I… I’ve been with someone. Intimately.”

“Oh…” Frank realized how insensitive he was five minutes ago. They have known each other properly for an afternoon, and he was already trying to get in the guy’s pants. _Uncool, Frank._ “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. And it was rude of me. I’m sorry Gee.”

“Gee?” Gerard laughed. “No one calls me Gee.”

“Well, I do, because I’m not like everybody else, am I?”

“You’re really not.” Gerard pecked his lips. “And thank you for understanding. I’m just scared, you know? Since she… cheated, I don’t really trust anyone anymore. But I want to trust you. Just give me time.”

“All the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

With that said, Frank kissed Gerard, differently from all their previous kisses. This was comforting and warm, like kissing your soulmate should feel like, as their soft lips started to bruise from all the kisses they had shared.

They had progressed from sitting on the couch kissing softly, to laying down on top of each other in a serious making out session. Frank laid on top of Gerard, with his hands on Gerard’s chest, as Gerard’s hands held Frank by the hips, pulling him closer every second, as if he was afraid someone would take Frank away from his arms, and Gerard couldn’t take any chance on that happening. Their bodies were pressed together to the limit, as they exchanged wet kisses, with Frank occasionally nibbling on Gerard’s lips, making him release a moan from the back of his throat, which was the hottest sound Frank had ever heard. He wanted to hear that sound every day for the rest of his life, and he would everything he could to be able to do so.

“Gee, you’re tickling.” mumbled Frank between kisses.

“That’s happiness in your stomach.”

“Yeah, but also, you’re tickling for real.”

“What?!”

Frank tried to get off of Gerard, but their legs were so intertwined he had no choice but falling to the floor on his back, leaving Gerard worried for a second, until they both burst in laughter.

“It’s my phone, sorry. Oh, it’s Mikey. Hi Mikey!”

Frank’s back was hurting as he struggled to lift himself up.

“Wait… just… Mikey, calm down… Mikey… MIKEY! One word at a time!”

Frank rose an eyebrow, to show Gerard he was concerned about him.

“What? Oh my god, I’m so happy for you! Congratulations! You’re going to make me cry! Oops, already am!”

“What happened?” Frank mimicked to Gerard.

“Mikey and Pete are getting married!!!” Gerard hugged Frank which made him flinch in pain.

“Ouch! My back…”

“Sorry, sorry.”

_“Who the hell is it? Gerard, what happened?”_

“Sorry Mikey, it’s Frank, he fell from the couch and hurt himself.”

_“Why did he fell down from the couch? What were you doing?”_

“Nothing, we did nothing.” Gerard lied.

_“Yeah, because people end up on the floor so often, couches have mandatory health warnings with them. No children under five and no pregnant women.”_

“You don’t know, they might have.” Answered Gerard sarcastically.

 _“Gerard…”_ Mikey sighed and Gerard could feel his eyes rolling over the phone.

“Fine! We were making out.”

_“You what? How…? When…? Why didn’t you tell me?!?!”_

“I’m sorry, I was busy.”

_“Yeah, sucking face!”_

“Why should I tell you that anyways?”

_“Because I, um, don’t know, I just CARE about you! You’re dating Frank and you don’t even tell me. I can’t believe you Gerard…”_

“That’s because we’re not dating… Wait, are we?”

“I don’t know, are we?” Frank asked with a smile on his face.

“Mikey, I’ll call you back in a minute.”

 _“Gerard, don’t you dare, I swear…”_ And his voice stopped sounding in Gerard’s ear.

“Are we dating?”

“I don’t know. Should we?”

“I don’t know, we’ve known each other for so little.”

“Yeah, but I always knew I liked you.”

“You did?” Gerard was speechless.

“Yeah. From the moment I saw you in that waiting room I thought you were so cute, and then as we talked, I felt you were even more awesome than you showed, I knew you and I were meant to be together in some way. When I did the experiment, I honestly thought I was wasting my time there, because I could only think of you. Afterwards, I went on some dates with Jamia, but I never felt anything for her as powerful as what I feel for you. I just… never thought we’d meet again, so I went with it. But that double date killed every chance she had. I was so nervous, I couldn’t stop talking, to see if you reacted to something I’d say, but you were always quiet, and I thought I was doomed with you. When you said you were having second thoughts, I took a chance and broke up with her for you. Thank god I did, looking back, I was really smitten for you, and I did the right thing. We would be miserable together, especially with them being such good friends, we were bound to cheat on them sooner or later.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Say something. Please.”

“I felt exactly the same. Though I honestly thought I was in love with her, you should’ve seen me after the date. Mikey was sick of hearing about you, and I knew I liked you for real after we met at your place. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think you’d like guys. I seriously thought you were madly in love with her.”

“Guess not.”

“Yeah… So…”

“We were meant to be.”

“We were.”

A long silence settled, but it was not an uncomfortable one. Gerard was looking Frank in the eyes and never felt closer to anyone in the world. Suddenly, Frank, who had been sitting on the floor all that time, kneeled down, in front of Gerard, holding his hand.

“I can’t say I want to marry you right now, because I don’t have a ring with me, and because it’s probably too soon for that anyways. But I want you to know I intend to. I want to make you happy for a long time, and I’d love it if you wanted to also. I know you don’t trust me fully yet, but I’ll do everything it takes for you to know that I love you, and I don’t want to be with anyone else ever. I know it’s too soon and kind of creepy to do this love statement, but I mean every word, because I felt like this for a long time and I know you have too. You are the reason I believe love exists. So, Gerard, will you not-marry-me-right-now-but-stay-with-me-for-a-long-time-maybe-forever?”

Gerard didn’t know what to say. No one had ever declared like this to him, especially after getting to know him only a few hours ago. He wanted to accept, but fear was taking over him. What if Frank was only under the influence of the experiment? What if Gerard himself was only seeing things the doctor made him see? What if it was all an illusion?

It couldn’t be. It felt so real.

“I can’t promise everything will be perfect, but I’ll try my hardest to make it so.” Gerard shook off every doubt in his mind.

“Is that a yes?”

“What do you think?” asked Gerard, as he leaned forward and smooched Frank once more, kissing all of their worries away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't know when I'll update again, it will happen sometime during the next week, but probably only by Thursday or Friday. I'm not sure how much work I have behind from missing classes all week, so, I really don't know when will I be able to update. I apologize for such uncertainty, thanks for reading anyways!!! :D


	20. Cheers!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brotherly double date, featuring a birthday and an engagement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I suck at summaries, sorry for that :P
> 
> Also, there's a line from Bart Simpson here, waaayyy more notorious than the TLOU one.
> 
> This fic just reached the 100 kudos mark, I love you all so much. Thanks for reading!! :)

_“You fucking shithead, why did you hung up on me?”_

“I’m sorry Mikey, Frank and I had things to work out together.”

_“Please, don’t describe what kind of things, I’m an innocent young mind, and I intend to keep that way.”_

“What? No, we did nothing like that!”

 _“Yeah, I believe you. Also, at nighttime, I become a dragon and go around murdering people with fire from my nostrils just for fun.”_ Mikey replied sarcastically.

“Fuck, knowing you, I’d say that’s true.”

_“Just get to the point already!”_

“We were just discussing if we should become official or not. That’s all.”

_“So…?”_

“So we are a couple now.”

 _“Fuck, I knew it, I fucking knew it. Hey Pete? Pete! Pete, you owe me one! They’re dating!”_ Mikey shouted on the other side of the phone. Gerard could swear he heard Pete cursing immediately.

“I cannot believe you placed a bet on us.”

_“Hell yeah we did, Pete owes me a handjob now.”_

“What? Mikeyyy…” Gerard whined. “You really need to work on the amount of information you give out to people.”

_“Nah, I’m good. Besides, I only do that with you.”_

“I’m glad to know I’m special.”

_“Speaking of which, we have a special occasion to celebrate, remember?”_

“Yeah, you getting engaged…”

_“And Pete’s birthday!”_

“Yes, and Pete’s birthday, you didn’t let me finish.”

 _“Oh, sorry. So, I decided to take him out to dinner…”_ Mikey was whispering, which felt like a relief to Gerard’s ear, after so much shouting during the call. _“And I want to know if you and Frank want to come along. Like a surprise party meets double date.”_

“But don’t you want to spend time with Pete alone?”

_“Oh, I took care of it already. And will again afterwards, don’t get worried.”_

“I am not anymore.” Too much information to Gerard’s liking was twisting his stomach. “So, let me ask Frank. Frank, do you wanna go out with Mikey and Pete to celebrate?”

“Uhh, sure!” Frank agreed, with a smile on his face.

“We’re going, Mikey.”

_“Great, see you later!”_

* * *

 

They arrived to the restaurant late, but still earlier than Pete and Mikey, who were nowhere to be seen, as Gerard and Frank sat down at their table.

“What do you think it happened with them?” asked Frank.

“I’m almost one hundred per cent sure of what happened, but I’d rather not say. Or even think about it, for that matters.” Said Gerard, sipping his glass of water, trying to divert those thoughts no big brother wanted to think of his little one.

“Oh…” Frank understood him straightaway.

“Yeah…”

“Hey guys? You’ve been here a long time?” Pete asked breathless, with red cheeks and a sweaty forehead.

“Uh, no, where’s Mikey?”

“I’m here, I’m here!” Mikey walked right behind Pete, placing his hand on his hip, as he greeted the couple already sitting. “Hi!”

“Save it Mikey, your shirt is half unfurled. I know what you were doing.”

“Fuck! I tried really hard… to keep you from finding out.” Said Mikey as he sat down. “I was cashing in my winnings from the bet, and we just got a little over excited, that’s all.”

“What part of too much information don’t you get?”

“I think the “too” and the “much”. You have every right to know.”

“Not that I actually want to…”

“That’s not my problem, you…”

“Happy birthday Pete! I’m Frank.” Frank stepped in, just in time to stop Mikey from insulting Gerard with every adjective possible in the world.

“It’s so nice to meet you, I finally have a face to go with Gerard’s stories! Man, he wouldn’t shut up about you.” With this said, Gerard started to blush and tried to look away before Frank would notice.  

“It’s nice to know that.” Frank giggled, and Gerard just got redder and redder, until Frank held his hand. It was comforting and at the same time, nerve-wrecking, as it only got him even more embarrassed to know Frank was seeing him like that.

The waiter got to the table just in time to stop Gerard from becoming a walking red pepper. He took their orders, giving them time to chat a bit until the food arrived.

“So Pete, tell me, how was the proposal?” asked Gerard.

“Fucking amazing. Mikey wasn’t by my side when I woke up, so I got up in a heartbeat, worried about what might have happened. He wasn’t home, but there was a donut box in the counter with a sign saying “OPEN ME” in bold letters, which I opened, only to see “Will you marry me? And if not, have some donuts anyways, it’s your birthday.”, and Mikey showed up behind me with the ring and kneeled down. It was so perfect, I said yes, of course, how could I not, and then we kissed and, we started to uh… That was it! Oh, and we ate the donuts, obviously.”

“See? Pete knows when he’s about to say too much, learn from him, Mikey!”

“Oh, I learn a lot of things from him, just not that.” Spat Mikey back, causing a bout of laughter to everyone except for Gerard, who was fuming from that witty answer.

The waiter arrived with their food, and they all started to eat, but not before Mikey gave a toast.

“To my dear future husband, may this be the first of many birthdays together, and may you fuck me every day for the rest of our lives, or else I’m getting a divorce, cheers!”

“Cheers!” They all said, as Frank looked at Gerard, frustrated at Mikey’s lack of inhibition, which Frank responded with a shrug and smile, causing Gerard to forget all about Mikey’s irreverence.

They had barely started to eat when a noise interrupted the conversation. It was Frank’s phone. He made a face and quickly excused himself from the table, leaving a worried Gerard behind, as Mikey tried to distract him from it, being unsuccessful.

Frank finally returned to the table and was wearing a perplexed look on his face, which left Gerard even more confused.

“Frank, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it was Ray…”

“What happened?” Gerard’s nervousness was increasing, fearing what Frank was about to say.

“We… we got booked a concert. A big one. A big, big one…” Frank started to display the hugest grin Gerard had ever seen.

“Oh Frankie, that’s so wonderful! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!” Gerard hugged him and kissed his lips softly.

“I never thought we would make it! But we’re doing it, we’re doing it!”

“Congratulations man!” Said Pete. “Now it’s one more reason to celebrate. To Frank! Cheers!”

“Cheers!” And Gerard’s mind was out of there. This was proving to be the most perfect day ever. Nothing could ruin it.

It was hard to trust someone. It had always been to Gerard, and life only made it harder for him. He looked at Mikey and Pete and got amazed on how much they loved each other, how much they trusted each other, despite only knowing one another for a little under a year. Gerard wondered if that was what happened to real soulmates. How he wished it was, otherwise, he couldn’t explain why he also felt that way for Frank, and why he was gaining his trust so quickly. Even quicker than he could ever think of. They were meant to be, and Gerard was slowly accepting it. He just had to show it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's kind of a filler chapter, I know they suck, but they're really necessary...


	21. Showing it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's the best way to show you trust someone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bought skeleton gloves. My life is complete.

It had been two months since that perfect day, and everyone seemed to settle with their new lives. Mikey and Pete were planning their wedding, having Gerard pitching in ideas as any best man would, while him and Frank were still discovering every detail about each other, besides the ones they got to know in the experiment. Tonight was the night of Frank’s big concert, and everyone seemed excited about it.

Frank was nervous, he couldn’t hide it, but he tried to. He could fool most people, but not Gerard, who accompanied him to the dressing room, granting the privilege to watch the show from backstage. Frank was beautiful that night, even more than he usually was, his eyes were shining brightly, and he had done his hair just for the show, which was usually a spiky mess. Gerard never felt so in love like that moment, just before Frank was leaving to get on stage, and was giving him his final words before the show started.

“You can do this. I’ll be here, watching you, go out there, and give everything you got. You’ll kick ass.” With this said he kissed Frank’s soft lips. Frank detached himself, looked Gerard in the eyes and leaned for a deeper kiss. He needed Gerard more than ever.

Gerard had placed his hands on Frank’s hips to bring him closer, as Frank wrapped his arms around his neck. Suddenly a voice sounded, startling both men.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but we have a problem.”

“Oh…” Gerard let go of Frank’s hips as Frank sighed and turned around to see who was talking to them. It was Ray, with a worried look on his face.

“What happened?”

“Dave is kinda messed up.”

“How messed up?”

“A lot. He says he’ll be fine in time for the concert, but I don’t really think so. What do you wanna do?”

“I guess we’ll have to take our chances with him. It’s not like we practiced with someone else…”

“I know, but honestly, this will be fucked up.”

“Let’s just hope not…”

“Yeah, hope… I’ll let you go back to Gerard, but it’ll start at any minute now, I’ll come call you later.”

Frank had introduced Gerard to Ray a few weeks ago, getting approvals from both their sides. Ray wanted to see Frank happy, and Gerard seemed to do it, so he couldn’t complain at all. Gerard loved to see Frank doing what he adored with such a dedicated person, someone who gave it all on stage, and a loyal friend, what else could he want from Frank’s best friend? They had gotten along from the first day, which left Frank so very much relieved. The people he loved the most had all been accepting of each other, and it made Frank a happy, fulfilled man. He couldn’t ask for anything else. Well, anything but a new, clean lead singer, who was leaving his nerves on edge.

Ray left, just as Frank started to panic a little more than before. How could he go on stage, he wasn’t prepared at all for it.

“Oh god, this is bad, we’re so fucked. Shit, I can’t do it!”

“Yes you can. I know you can.”

“No! The band is supposed to be a team. When one of us is not okay, everyone’s just as bad!” Frank was frantic, pacing around the room, until Gerard stopped him and placed his hands on his shoulders.

“You can do this. Any band with you on it can’t be bad.”

“I’m so lucky to have you.” Frank hugged Gerard and buried his face on the crook of Gerard’s neck.

“I’m even luckier then.” Gerard kissed Frank’s head, as Ray peeked to the door again and called Frank to the stage.

Gerard watched the entire show from backstage, cringing and gasping when it finally happened. Dave started to drag his speech, then he stopped playing the guitar, holding on to the mic, until he finally gave up and collapsed on the floor. The crowd watching them, a few dozen people, gasped in unison, as Frank stopped playing to check on the singer. Ray asked for the paramedics, as everyone kept watching them trying to bring him back to Earth while still lying on the stage, as he had fallen in a deep unconscious state no one seemed to get him out of. Suddenly, the masses started to leave, giving them space as the medics arrived. They took him in an ambulance, still unconscious, as Frank headed to his dressing room, quickly followed by Gerard, storming into the room.

“Fucking Dave, we told him he should go to rehab, but he kept saying he was fine, he could stop whenever he wanted, but I knew he couldn’t, shit, why did it had to happen today, of all days?” Frank was sitting on the couch, with his elbows on his knees, covering his tear-stained face with his hands. Gerard entered fearfully into the small room, and closed the door silently behind them. He made his way up until Frank, sitting by his side on the couch, hugging his small body and placing his head on his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry Frankie. It wasn’t your fault at all. You did the best you could, I know you worked so hard for it, I’m sorry it all went wrong today.”

“I just… This was our only shot, we had to nail it this time, and now we probably have to break up the band, no one will sign us after this, it’s awful! Everyone will hate us, how my god, how could he?!?! This is all my fault, I should’ve pressured him to go, hell I should’ve kicked him out the band, fuck!”

Gerard couldn’t console Frank, because after all, he was losing every single piece of his lifelong dream in just a few minutes. Gerard thought he could lose absolutely everything, but there was something he wouldn’t lose ever. And it was time to show it.

_Compare the best of their days_

_With the worst of your days_

_You won't win_

_With your standards so high_

_And your spirits so low_

_At least remember..._

_This is you on a bad day, you on a pale day_

Frank looked up to Gerard, who kept holding him, as he sang looking at the ceiling, probably to avoid Frank’s eyes from embarrassment. Frank never heard anything like that, no one had ever sounded so perfect in his ears, and the fact that Gerard was singing for someone, for the first time in years, and that someone was him, made him forget all the pain that haunted his heart at that moment.

_Just do your best and don't..._

_Don't worry, oh_

_The way you hang yourself is oh, so unfair_

Frank’s mouth opened in awe, as Gerard kept looking up, occasionally closing his eyes and letting tears fall down his cheeks. Frank hated seeing Gerard sad, let alone crying, so he took the opportunity to wipe a tear off Gerard’s face, grinning while doing it, which caused Gerard to look down, into Frank’s eyes and smiling in return. Tears kept pouring from their eyes, but they were no longer from sadness. Frank made him feel comfortable while singing, and it wasn’t long before they were gazing each other deeply, surrounded by Gerard’s soft and mellow voice.

_See the best of how they look_

_Against the worst of how you are_

_And again, you won't win_

_With your standards so high_

_And your spirits so low_

_At least remember..._

_This is you on a drab day, you in a drab dress_

_Just do your best and don't..._

_Don't worry, oh_

_The way you hang yourself is oh, so unfair_

_Just do your best and don't..._

_Don't worry, oh_

_The way you watch yourself is oh, so unfair_

Gerard then got quiet, looking Frank with apprehensive eyes, probably seeking approval on what he had just done. No one had heard him sing for so long, he was worried what anyone might think of it, especially Frank.

 “You… you sang for me.”

“I-I did. Was it bad?”

“No! On the contrary, it was perfect…” Frank had a grin on his face, which Gerard took as a bad sign.

“Please stop messing with me…”

“I’m not! I can’t believe you sang to me.”

“I guess I did.”

“Does that mean…?”

“What?”

Frank sighed and finally spoke up, with fear drenching every word.

“Does that mean you trust me?”

“I-I…”

Frank regretted his question from the moment it left his lips.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pressure you. You don’t have to answer if…”

“I trust you.”

Frank’s face lit up at those words, blushing and looking away immediately. Gerard had a similar reaction, adding disbelief to the mix. He was breaking every rule in his head that told him he shouldn’t trust someone he knew for so little. But right now, all those voices telling him to back down were shut silent, as, just a second later, Frank’s lips made a damn good job clearing Gerard’s mind of any doubt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Morrissey's "Do Your Best And Don't Worry". 
> 
> (I honestly spent more time looking for the best fitting song than writing the chapter itself...)


	22. Fun Ghoul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard needs inspiration for his comic book. Frank helps. A lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if it's any good, but I tried.

“Whatcha doin’?”

“Drawing.”

“What?”

“Stuff for my comic book.”

Gerard had a lot of success between his coworkers after “Lindsey, The Mistress of Time”, and even managed to sell a few hundred copies in some experimental comic bookstores. Everyone gained a new respect for him as an artist, as he was no longer just another sheep designing for a mainstream author. He had his own “it”, and was gaining his space in the scene. However, since the break-up, he had stopped writing, not having any clear concepts on what to do next. He had some ideas, but they all came to a dead end. He had severe author’s block, and was trying to find a way around it.

“A superhero?”

“Yes.” Frank peaked to see the drawing, and got a suspicious look on his face.

“Are you getting inspiration from someone in particular?”

“Maybe…” Gerard gave Frank a suggestive look.

“He does have an awful lot of tattoos.”

“I wonder why…” Gerard let out a soundly giggle.

It was the beginning of October, and the cold was settling in the house. Mikey’s wedding was in a little over than a month, and everyone was frantic about it. It was a rare occasion that Gerard could be all alone with Frank and little bit of peace and quiet. In a day like that, there was nothing better than a blanket, a cup of freshly made coffee and the warmth of The One by your side. Gerard quickly noticed how he missed it, as Frank had gotten up to get a cup of coffee, when Gerard asked him for one too. Frank had handled it to him, as he sat by him on the sofa, covering himself with a blanket and snuggling on Gerard, resting his head on his shoulder.

“It doesn’t look much like me though.”

“That’s because you don’t have wings. Yet.”

“Yet?”

Gerard slurped his coffee, as Frank looked at him with curiousness in his eyes.

“You may grow a pair of them one day, I don’t know.”

“If I do, I’ll fly with you to wherever you want.”

“But I don’t want to.”

“Don’t you want to see the world?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I have this cup of coffee, my sketchpad, and you. Where else am I going, if I have all I need to be happy right here?”

“That’s cute, but cheesy.”

“Yeah, but love’s cheesy.”

Frank didn’t need to listen to anything anymore.

“I love you.”

“Love you too.” jokingly replied Gerard, as he took another sip of his cup.

“No, no, no.” Frank took his cup off his hands, as Gerard prepared to take another swig, and placed it on the coffee table where Gerard was resting his blanket covered feet.

“Uh… don’t, it’s… mine…” protested Gerard, as his faint pleas and puppy eyes made Frank giggle out loud. He took Gerard’s hands and looked him profoundly in the eyes. They were a beautiful shade of hazel, with a hint of greenish in the right light, and they were causing Frank’s heart to melt. How a pair of eyes could have so much impact on someone, wondered Frank. His breathing was fast, in sync with the accelerated beats of his heart, which was about to pound his way off his chest.

“ _You’re_ mine. And I love you. I do.” Frank was serious as he spoke, releasing a hopeful smile at his last words. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Gerard reassured Frank, as he gave him a confident smile.

Frank smiled and looked away as he blushed, resting his head again on Gerard’s shoulder, watching him add more and more details to the portrait.

“What’s it called?”

“Itchy Stranger?”

“What?”

“Latte-saur.”

“That’s accurate.”

“Spider-whiner!”

“Fuck you!” yelled Frank, as he hit Gerard in the face with a pillow.

“Ow, my nose!”

“I’d feel sorry for you, but you just mentioned spiders. You deserved to be hit.”

“You’re such a whiner though.”

“You were the one talking about spiders!”

“I’m sorry Frankie.” Gerard chuckled. “I don’t have a name for him yet. Wanna help me?”

“Yeah, but take off the wings. Everyone has wings nowadays! I’m not like everybody else, so if you’re basing it on me, it has to be original. An unsung hero, if you may. The ultimate underdog.”

“Uhhh, okay then…”

Gerard tore off the piece of paper he’d been working on, and started to draw some lines in a plain white sheet. Quickly it was becoming more and more clear where he was going with it. It wasn’t a superhero, but some kind of a monster. Frank couldn’t quite grasp what it was, so he let Gerard finish it.

“What do you think?”

“What the hell is that?!”

“A ghoul. No ghoul has been the hero before. I’ll make it in some kind of a humanoid form, and maybe I’ll make it into a whole team of underdog heroes, it’ll be awesome, trust me. Don’t you like it?”

“I do, that’s exactly what I was thinking of, but it’s missing something. Something that tells it’s me…”

“Hum…”

Frank couldn’t help but laugh at what he had drawn.

“Did you seriously just drew a smiley face on it?” Frank couldn’t control his laughter, and Gerard was blushing uncontrollably.

“Yeah, but it’s a twisted smiley face! You always make me smile, you’re fun to be around, but you’re also fierce and a force to be reckoned with. So it will kind of be a… Fun Ghoul?”

“I like it. Fun Ghoul. It sounds fucking badass. But seriously, a toy hammer? I need a better superpower than that.”

“A toy gun?”                                                                                                                                    

“Better, better.”

“I think it’s done then. A Fun Ghoul with a toy gun! It’ll fly off the shelves!”

“Of fucking course it will, I’m adorable.”

“Nope, that would be me.”

Frank pushed all the art materials and the blanket Gerard had been using to the ground, and made Gerard lie down, only to lay on top of him, covering both of their bodies with the blanket originally only meant just for him. He laid his head on Gerard’s chest and wrapped his arms around him, listening to his breathing and heartbeat, as Gerard ran his fingers through Frank’s hair.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Gerard started to caress Frank’s cheek with his other hand, lifting his chin so he could look Frank in his eyes.

“I love you. I trust you. I wanna be with you. Only you. I fucking love you.”

Frank climbed his way to Gerard’s mouth, kissing him lazily and wet, while his hands traveled through his chest and neck. Gerard couldn’t help but release soft moans, as Frank moved his lips to Gerard’s collarbone, and he noticed Gerard was getting tenser and tenser, until he felt his something poking through his pants. Frank smiled and lowered his hand, touching on Gerard’s increasing bulge, as he was starting to get one of his own.

Gerard noticed it too, as he started to push Frank’s hips onto his, because he needed Frank, he wanted Frank, he had to feel him against him. No distance could exist between them, otherwise they would be too far from each other. Frank got up, kicked the blanket away and straddled Gerard’s still laid down body, as he bend over to kiss him again, as Gerard held his ass, squeezing it softly. It was the most perfect thing he had ever touched, and he couldn’t wait to feel it naked, with no pants in the way. Frank suddenly came to a halt, and whispered.

“Do you wanna do this?”

“I do.”

“You sure? I know it’s hard for you, if you don’t want to, I’ll be fine with it.”

“Frank, listen to me. I want you. I want this. I’m readier than ever.” And Gerard took his face, for the deepest of kisses. Frank quickly shoved all his worries away, as he shoved Gerard too, to take off the hoodie he had dressed, only to reveal his tattoo covered body. He struggled to take off Gerard’s shirt, because he was being really uncooperative, although Frank didn’t know why, as tried to kiss Gerard again, only to be pushed away gently. Gerard had been completely lied down, but had sat up, holding Frank still on his lap.

“I…Your tattoos… Let me look at them. You’re beautiful. So. Beautiful.” Gerard was gasping for air, tracing every tattoo with his pale fingers, as Frank smiled at Gerard’s amazement filled reaction.

“If there’s anyone beautiful here, it’s you Gee. Fucking beautiful. I’m not like that. But I’m yours. Only yours.”

“Mine. You’re mine, and beautiful, and mine. I love you so much.” Gerard had disbelief on his voice, which made Frank giggle.

“I love you too.”

Frank made Gerard lay down again, leaning down as they kissed while doing so. Gerard’s hands had gone from holding Frank’s hips, to his belt buckle, trying his best at undoing it, while still maintaining the long, wet kiss they were both sharing and that none of them wanted to break. It finally came off, which made Frank get up to take his pants off, as Gerard took the opportunity to do the same. Frank took his boxers too and quickly turned to Gerard’s, almost ripping them apart due to urgency he had to go back to his lap.

Gerard had sat up again, to take everything off easily, and was now sitting normally on the couch, only naked with a raging boner, waiting for Frank. He placed his knees on each side of Gerard’s hips, and leaned for a kiss, taking Gerard’s face on his hands.

“Let me… prep you… Where do you… keep your stuff?” mumbled Gerard between kisses with a heavy breathing.

“In the bedroom, no time for that!”

“I don’t wanna hurt you!”

“With your cock, it’s going to hurt with or without prep, but fine!” Frank detached himself from Gerard and licked his fingers. Gerard’s eyes became black, as his pupils dilated with lust and his mouth opened in eagerness, as he watched Frank prep himself and man, was that the hottest thing he’d ever seen. As Frank continued to finger himself, his eyes rolled in pleasure, as moans came out of his throat.

“Fuck, Gee… I’m ready…” He took off his fingers and carefully sat on Gerard’s dick as both released a moan of pleasure, only Frank’s also came with a hint of pain. Frank had underestimated the situation, as Gerard was too big and had been too long since the last time he had slept with a guy. Frank shut his eyes, trying to hide his discomfort from Gerard, as he kept riding him slowly, to stop the pain and begin the pleasure. He finally hit the spot, releasing a louder moan and opening his eyes, making Gerard grin and grab his hips, as Frank started to move faster, hitting his prostate with every impulse. Gerard filled him like no one had ever before, and Frank felt like he’d gone to heaven. Every thrust made him see angels, and it only got better after Gerard started to stroke his painfully hard dick in sync with the thrusts.

Gerard found Frank to be really tight, and he never felt so much pleasure. The way Frank intertwined his fingers on his hair, pulling it gently as a harder thrust would occasionally appear, the way he looked up to the ceiling, exposing his ink covered neck, as he rolled his eyes from the wave of lust taking over his body, the way he moaned his name with every thrust made Gerard feel over the moon. There was nowhere else he wanted to be, nor anyone else he’d rather be with. Frank was becoming his everything, and now, was emptying his mind of any doubt it might have been left behind. Frank’s neck had the power of doing that, being kissed harshly by Gerard, who was leaving a trail of bruises on it.

“Fuck, Gee, fuck!” Frank’s voice was broken, as he tried to breathe through the loud moans coming out of his throat. “I’m… I’m so close.”

“Me too baby… Come for me.” Gerard leaned to nibble on Frank’s collarbone and he just couldn’t take it anymore. He felt Frank complying, as he came into their bodies, followed soon by Gerard, overwhelmed by the whole scene.

Frank rested his head on the crook of Gerard’s neck, while holding his hands, and could only hear Gerard’s voice whispering in his ear.

“I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on, not only am I a fan fiction writer, but I'm also a gay smut fan fiction writer. And I couldn't be more proud of myself.


	23. Groomzilla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weddings are fun. Except for the best men.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a really bad week, and have been missing you all! I was so happy to see the previous chapter brought 120+ hits with it, I was really glad it did so, you're all awesome and I love you guys :)

It was a cold late-November morning, almost December, and Gerard didn’t really want to wake up and climb out of bed. He had to though, the ceremony couldn’t go on without the best men. He and Frank had arrived to New Jersey a few days ago, to help preparing all the final details and he couldn’t be happier. Mikey was a nerve wreck, and Gerard lovingly offered a portrait he drew of him as a groomzilla, wrecking a wedding cake and all, to which he responded with an elbow to the stomach and a snorted insult. Most people would be offended, but Gerard knew it was Mikey’s way to tell he was fine.

He managed to get up, as he stumbled to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, washed his face and looked out to the bedroom. Frank was still sleeping peacefully, with a smile on his face. It had been like that every day for the past couple of months, and Gerard liked to think it was because of him, and not only because Frank was a happy sleeper.  Gerard kissed his cheek softly, to not wake him up rudely, reminding him to get dressed and go check up on Pete. Frank grunted, and turned away, but was able to successfully hit Gerard with a pillow as he was leaving the room, despite being barely awaken for thirty seconds.

Gerard left, as he went to meet Mikey, who was a nervous Nellie by the time Gerard got to his room. He had bitten all his fingernails, and was considering biting his toenails, although Gerard managed to arrive and stop him before that disaster happened.

“I can’t do it!” Mikey was pacing frantically around the room.

“Yes you can!”

“No! I’m going to be an awful husband, Pete will get tired of me, and I’ll get tired of him, fuck this is a mistake, I should just…”

“Sit here and think about all the reasons on why you’re getting married.”

“Because I was bored and decided that I needed to do something and decided to get married?”

“Mikey…” Gerard rolled his eyes.

“Alright, alright!” Mikey sat on the bed, looked up and pursed his lips, to show Gerard he was thinking about it. “I like his smile.”

“And…? What else?”

“Uh…”

“Only that? Thank god you’re not a dentist, you’d fall in love with every patient!”

Mikey fake laughed at Gerard’s lame joke, and looked at the floor, trying to breathe and focus on what he loved most about Pete.

“I… I love his eyes. I like how he looks at everything with curiousness, like he has to find out every single detail about everything so he can be happy. I love how he gets confused about some simple things, but then can tell you all about complex theories, and actually make sense while doing it. I love how he seems confident with everyone, but then shows his true self to me only. He blushes when I compliment him, he actually fucking blushes, and it’s cute as hell, I could spend all day telling him he was beautiful, and he would blush every time, because he secretly thinks I’m lying, but I’m not. He’s so amazing Gerard, I’m so lucky to have him, why did he agree to marry me? I’m nothing compared to him.”

“Stop demeaning yourself. Think of what you feel when you see him.”

“My heart is going to make a hole in my chest, because it doesn’t stop beating like a maniac.”

“Good. Does it happen every time?”

“Fuck yeah, every damn time…” Mikey was smiling, and he appeared to be calmer, as he seemed to be trying to reminisce every good thing Pete made him feel.

“You know something?” Gerard asked.

“What?”

“Everything you told me that makes you love him, every feeling he awakens in you, every smile he puts on your face…” Gerard paused “He feels all those things too, and he only does so because of you. Face it, he’s The One for you.”

“He is, isn’t he? God, I’m so lucky.”

“Now you go get married, and never let him go.”

“I couldn’t even if I tried. Thanks Gerard.” Mikey leaned to hug Gerard, as he turned away to leave the room.

“I’ll call you in a minute, I’m gonna check up on Frank.”

“Okay, but Gerard…”

“Yeah?”

“I forgot to tell you…” Gerard gave him a worried look. “I also love his dick.”

Gerard flipped him off and slammed the door, but let out a loud chuckle once it closed, as he felt relieved from seeing Mikey going back to his normal self.

He made his way for Pete’s room, because, for some reason, they decided they wanted to sleep in separate bedrooms on the night before, although Gerard could swear he heard footsteps during the night going around in the house. It was either them or the loudest ghost in history.

He knocked on the door and opened it slightly to peek. Frank was in the same position he himself had been a few minutes ago, calming Pete down and assuring him everything would be alright.

Frank and Pete had become close friends after Frank’s band breakup. Pete had a band of his own, and could understand Frank’s view on things, especially when Frank drifted off subject and steered the conversation towards music, some of which Gerard could accompany, but were mostly had with Pete. Frank wanted to assemble a new band, and was doing so with the help of Pete. Ray was in too, as always, but the greater surprise came from Mikey, who had been taking bass lessons with Pete and wanted to join some band, “just for fun”, as he said.

The first time Gerard heard about the lessons he gagged out of instinct, thinking it was a new metaphor for sex, which made Mikey storm out of the room and return with a bass on his hands, proceeding to play what Gerard quickly identified as one of his favorite songs of all time, “Come as You Are”. Gerard shut his mouth for insults, but he knew he couldn’t resist and started to sing the lyrics he knew better than his own right pinkie toe. Frank couldn’t help but feel happy. Not only had he found a bassist for his band, but he knew Gerard was finally happy and coping with old feelings, as he was starting to sing more often. Frank would often ask him to sing, a wish Gerard would fulfill immediately, making Frank melt with happiness every time. Gerard trusted him enough to do that, and Frank couldn’t ask for anything else. Or could he?

“Is everything okay?”

“Pete’s just nervous, that’s it.” Frank answered with an uneasy smile.

“Mikey’s exactly the same way.”

“He’s having doubts too?” Pete asked with a worried look on his face.

“Not anymore. And what do you mean by too?”

“It’ll be fucked up, we’re going to get bored from each other and will end up bitter and alone. I don’t want that. I love him, and don’t want it to change ever.”

Gerard chortled.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Mikey felt the same way. He said exactly that, that you’d get bored of each other, until he finally came to reason and remembered he loved you more than anyone else in the world. And how could you be bored of each other, honestly?”

“Yeah, now that I think about it, we really couldn’t.” Pete answered with a wicked smile. Gerard made a nauseous face, making Frank laugh.

“Let’s go get you married then.” Frank declared.

“Awesome, I’ll get Mikey!” Gerard closed the door, leaving Frank to compose Pete’s tie, as he composed his cuff links.

“Frank?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for being my best man.”

“You’re welcome. Make him happy.”

“I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t.”

They hugged tightly and left for the ceremony.

The venue was fairly simple, nothing over the top because neither of them could afford it, but really beautiful in its own way. Mikey wanted an outside wedding, but quickly changed his mind while giving directions to the planners, realizing it was too cold to be outside, settling then for a small cozy wedding, in a historical Estate near his childhood house. Pete and Mikey held hands as they walked down the aisle, making Gerard cry while on Mikey’s side of the altar. Frank smiled from the other side of it, tossing him a handkerchief before the grooms got there. 

The ceremony was beautiful, which made Gerard fall apart in tears more times than Frank could count. He estimates there were five or six breakdowns, but he stopped counting after Pete asked him for the rings. As they kissed and hugged in the end, Gerard could hear Mikey whispering _I love you, you’re finally my beautiful husband_ to Pete’s ear, and it checked out, Pete blushed at the words. They were so perfect together, Gerard could only hope that one day he and Frank could be as perfect as they were. He felt confident about it though, as he gazed into Frank’s eyes, holding his hand and joining the crowd throwing flower petals to the grooms as they that walked out down the aisle, so everyone could meet at the Estate for the reception.

It was also a nice setting there, dressed in soft mellow colors, not by Mikey’s wish, but their mom’s. If Mikey had had his way, someone who’d mind-absently walked in there would’ve thought they were on a Halloween dance, and not on a proper wedding. Mikey gave in, but made sure there was pizza served, even though his mother wouldn’t stop pestering about it being a classy event, and pizza was the nastiest thing she could think of serving in there. Mikey didn’t care, because if pizza made Pete happy, he had every right to have it on the happiest day of his life.  

It also had a great band featured, some of Pete’s friends, that made Gerard and Frank dance all night. As guests started to go home and ended up being only them and the newlyweds on the venue, they decided it was best to leave too and let them have their dreamy wedding night. Frank and Gerard got to their room exhausted, as snow started to leave its mark on the windows, and they drifted off to a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's only one more chapter, and then a small epilogue. Thanks for reading! :)


	24. Bring it on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snowball fights are fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the last "chapter" of the fic, because the next one will be a short epilogue, for which I have already a draft, but I'm still giving it some final touches. 
> 
> I love you all who read and gave me feedback through it, in all honesty, I really love you guys, you don't know how much every single kudo or comment meant to me <3
> 
> (Just a side note, today I went to a record shop and I saw TCFSR there, and almost fainted when I saw it, and I want it so much, fuck I'm dying. my sister says it's not worth it, because no one buys cd's anymore, but it's fucking MCR, I'll get an old cd player if I have to, oh god how I want it xD)

Gerard woke up a little bit startled the next morning, with the sheets next to him cold, and Frank nowhere to be seen. He got up faster than he did the day before, searching for Frank in the bathroom, but coming up empty handed. He dressed quickly, and noticed a note taped to the door. He was sleepy enough to miss it the first time, but ran to it once he saw it.

_We’re outside baby, come meet us when you wake up. Dress warm clothes, it’s freezing_

_Frnk_

Gerard put on his gloves, Mikey’s left behind beanie, covered his face with a scarf, probably Frank’s, and ran outside to meet Frank and someone else.

He got there and found Mikey and Pete up, helping Frank building snowmen.

“What are you two doing up at this hour? Didn’t you want to sleep in? Aren’t you tired?”

“We weren’t planning on sleeping that much either.” Mikey snorted, sharing a wave of laughs with Frank and Pete.

“Fine, I get it, you got fucked yesterday, it was your wedding night, I know, just… no more details please…”

“Who says _I_ was the one getting fucked yesterday?”

Pete blushed, as Mikey laughed louder than ever, as Gerard grunted and went to kiss Frank good morning.

“Why are you building snowmen anyways?”

“You remember… when you said you wanted another snowball fight with Mikey?”

“Uh… On the experiment?”

“Yeah. We got up early to build the army and have everything settled before you woke up. We won’t have another chance to this again anytime soon, so, it’s us versus the gooey couple, what do you think?”

Gerard couldn’t believe that Frank would go to all those troubles just to fulfill his wish. The man was dreamy, and Gerard couldn’t believe how lucky he was.

“I’m in!” And then he whispered to Frank with a wink “We can be way gooier though!”

What Gerard didn’t know was that Frank had arranged everything to get them to lose, not that Mikey got any problems with it. Frank would purposely miss or hit Pete, instead of the snowmen, gaining exasperated insults from them, and a few annoyed grunts from Gerard. Once their snowmen were all down, Mikey and Pete started to make a victory dance between them, as Gerard looked at them frustrated with his cheeks flushed from the strain of the battle.

“So, we won, and that could only mean one thing!” Mikey declared. “VICTORY FUCK!” as he hugged Pete and dragged him to the inside of the house.

“You have the worst aim I’ve ever seen.”

“Sorry about that.” Frank wasn’t really sorry, which made him laugh quietly, so Gerard wouldn’t notice. ”Are you sad that we lost?”

“A little bit yeah. No one will shut Mikey up now.”

“I’m not.” Gerard was walking to the house and suddenly felt the need to stop, as he stopped hearing Frank’s footsteps on the snow.

“Why?” Gerard turned around and walked towards Frank, who was still in the middle of the path.

“I don’t mind losing a meaningless battle, because at the end of the day, I won.”

“You won?”

“I mean, I think I won. I think I’m going to win.”

“What? What are you talking about? Frank, you’re not making any sense! What are you going to win?” Gerard was seriously confused, and gesticulated frantically.

“You.” Frank kneeled down and took a little box out of the hidden pocket of his jacket. “Will you marry me?”

Gerard’s eyes grew wide and his mouth involuntarily opened in surprise, as his heart just stopped and tears started to form in his eyes.

“Uh… No.”

“What?” Frank’s heart dropped, as well as the smile he had across his face and he stood up almost immediately.

“No, wait not like that!”

“I’m not following you.” Frank was getting frustrated.

“It’s just that, we’ve known each other for a while and…”

“And? Are you tired of me?”

“No! I...”

“Are you cheating on me? Please, at this point, just be honest!” Frank’s eyes were filling with tears, and he was shouting more than he intended to.

“What? No, honey no! Of course not!” Gerard walked over to hug Frank “I love you, that’s not it!”

“What the fuck is it then?” Frank refused the hug, and had pain and tears all over his eyes.

“There’s someone you haven’t met yet! And I can’t marry you without knowing her opinion! I want to marry you, but only after talking to her!”

“Who? Who the fuck haven’t I met that has more of a saying about us than you?” Frank was still inconsolable, and Gerard could understand it, although he couldn’t help but flash a little smile at Frank’s jealousy.

“Let’s go Frankie, I’ll take you to meet her right now.”

Frank refused Gerard’s embrace, as they walked over to the car.

* * *

Frank had met Gerard’s brother, Gerard’s mother, and Gerard’s great-aunt Irene, but he couldn’t guess whoever was missing from the list, that was remotely close to a girl. He did though, as Gerard pulled over to the city’s cemetery.

“Frank, meet my grandma, Elena.”

“Uh, hi.” Frank felt awkward talking to a grave, particularly being one he was jealous of five minutes ago, and quickly turned to Gerard. “You could’ve told me it was your grandma.”

“Yeah, but you might have thought I was twisted by talking to a dead person, but it really calms me when I talk to her, especially when I am confused or divided about something, she always seems to point me in the right direction, because I don’t think people leave you spiritually after passing, only physically.” Gerard saw confusion and relief all mixed up on Frank’s face. “And also, you look hot as fuck when you’re jealous.”

“I was jealous of your grandma.”

“Uh, right. But still, you looked hot, what can I say?” Gerard giggled and turned to the grave. “How’ve you been grandma? I’ve been fine, I’m doing okay at my job, and made this crazy love experiment, where I met Frank. You probably heard a lot about him, not only from me, but because Mikey can’t shut his mouth, he probably told you everything about him already. By now you know that I like Frank a lot. No wait, grandma I can’t lie to you, I really love him, and I think he’s the man of my dreams.”

Frank smiled, as Gerard poured his heart to the sepulcher.

“He actually proposed, like an hour ago, but I didn’t accept yet. You had to meet him first and give me your blessing. I know you’re there, just tell me, am I making a mistake if I accept?”

Frank was shocked after hearing Gerard’s words, and was startled after a chipmunk dropped a nut on Gerard’s head.

“Fucking hell!” Gerard scratched his head as he chuckled. “Thanks grandma, I love you too.”

“What…?”

“She approves of you, so of course I’ll marry you.” Gerard leaned for a kiss, but Frank managed to avoid it at last second.

“How do you know that?”

“Uh, when I was little, you remember the play, right?” Frank nodded “So, I was second guessing myself a lot, and every time I did, she would pat me on the head and tell me I was the best singer she had ever heard, and how everything would go fine, I just needed a little more confidence. She started to do that every time I doubted myself, and I guessed she tried to do the same today, she was just probably angry I didn’t accept right away, that’s why it hurt a lot more.”

Frank laughed at the explanation, because it made a little bit of sense, just enough to be considered a Gerard Way train of thought.

“Well, now it’s too bad.”

“What?”

“I don’t want to marry you now. You have to propose to me.”

“I… What? I don’t have a r…”

Frank tossed him the small box. “We wear the same ring size. Surprise me, or I’m not marrying you.”

“Frankie…” Gerard giggled, and leaned in for a kiss, to which Frank returned, only to stop it immediately after.

“I’m serious. That’s for making me jealous of your grandma.”

“Frank, will you…” Gerard kneeled down.

“No. It has to wow me. I’m going to be your husband apparently, I built you an army of snowmen, I think I deserve something a little more, um, original? You can do it, Gee, you’re creative…” Frank giggled, with a hint of evilness in his voice. Gerard could only think of one thing:

_Bring it on_

* * *

 

They left New Jersey two days later, leaving Mikey and Pete at the airport. They went on their honeymoon, to some fancy hotel in Paris. Pete was a hopeless romantic, who would’ve thought?

Gerard wished he was in Paris too, as they got home and realized they forgot to pay the heat, and was freezing inside, almost as much as it was outside. The lights were out too, as the snowing had caused a blackout in some parts of New York.

“Fuck this shit.” Frank was too tired to think about it, and pulled out every blanket, sheet and pieces of clothing he could find. “We’re building a fort.”

“A fort?” Gerard tried to find the candles, so he could see where he was going. Frank seemed to have night vision, because he built the fort before Gerard could even light up the first candle.

“Yeah, a fucking fort. I’m sleepy, I’m tired and I’m cranky, so you can join my damn fort, or stay outside of it and freeze to death.”

“Fine, let me just find a clean sweater and some pants.”

Frank giggled.

“What?”

“You really think you need pants for this?”

“Uhhh…” Gerard didn’t even think about it, until Frank said it out loud. As he looked around, Frank curled up inside of a fort, fighting a sandwich, as dozens of candles flickered around him, and Gerard fought with his own pants, he quickly realized this was everything he could ever ask for. “Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“I do need pants for this.”

“Wait… what?”

Gerard disappeared from the bedroom, where Frank had settled in the bed and lied down, closing the fort, and made a run to the living room. He returned, panting, with a smile on his face.

“Frank, can I enter the fort?”

“You can, if you tell me the password.”

“You never told it to me.”

“Oh, fuck…” Frank sounded frustrated. “Fine, you can get in, but the pants stay outside.”

“Um, no, that can’t be.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“You’re too curious! Let me in, and you’ll see.”

“Fine.”

Gerard got in, and Frank seemed unsurprised.

“Big deal, you have some damn pants on. So what?”

“Frank, open the fort.”

Frank uncovered their bodies, as he poked through the sheet used as a “door”. He could see Gerard had left the door that separated their bedroom from the living room open, as many candles were set on the floor. Frank couldn’t quite see what the hell was going on, so he got out of the fort and tip toed his way to the main room. The floor was cold as he was barefoot, but the little flames of the candles warmed his ankles and legs.

He gasped, as he saw the writing on the floor. It spelled “ _Marry me?_ ” with flickering candles making every letter of it. He ran back to the room, where he found Gerard kneeled down with a box on his hands.

“Well?”

“Of course I will Gee!” Frank kissed him, as Gerard struggled to put the ring on Frank’s finger.

“Frank…” Gerard couldn’t let go of him. “You… the ring… Uh…”

“Okay, okay, sorry.” Frank pulled away, with his cheeks blushed, both from the long kiss that made him long for air, and from the emotions that were showing on his face.

“I hope you like it.”

“Uh… This is not…”

“I know. That one was mine. I asked Mikey to get you another one after we went to the cemetery. I described everything I wanted on it, and he did the best he could. I loved it, he has good taste. He gave it to me when we were hugging on the airport. That was also why I didn’t want to take my pants off. It was in the pocket.” Gerard seemed embarrassed at the last statement, as he looked away and blushed lightly.

“Do you still have yours?”

“Yes, of course.”

Gerard reached for his jacket pocket, where he had placed the ring Frank had given him.

“Give it to me.”

Gerard complied, and gave the box to Frank.

“Gerard, you’re the love of my life.”

“And you’re mine.”

“I know we’re not married yet, hell, we don’t even know each other for a year now, but I love you, I always have, since the first moment that I laid my eyes on you, I knew you’re going to be special to me.”

Frank was getting tears in his eyes, and his voice was starting to crack.

“My heart fell when you said you didn’t want to marry me, but I understood your reasons on why you didn’t. I got hurt nevertheless. I never thought you would ask me again so soon. I thought you would wait until I forgot and then pop the question at a random time where it didn’t really mattered anymore. But you didn’t.”

“Of course I didn’t. And I wouldn’t. Ever. You mean the world to me Frankie, I do everything I can to make you happy. You wanted a nice proposal, and I wanted to give you that. I wanna marry you as soon as I can, why would I wait? I hope you liked it, it was just a thing of the moment, it just felt right. I don’t have a box of donuts to offer you though.”

“It doesn’t matter. You are everything I need.”

“Didn’t you say that that was cheesy once?”

“Fuck you.”

“I wished.”

Frank leaned to peck Gerard’s lips. “Give me your hand.”

Gerard held out his hand to Frank, who took it and kissed its back, placing the ring on his pale skinny finger. Gerard then hugged him and hid his face on Frank’s neck.

“I was scared you didn’t want to marry me anymore. You’d say no and I’d have missed my opportunity again. I’m so glad you didn’t.”

“The minute I’d let you go it was the minute my life would end. So I’d never refuse the chance to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They were gazing into each other’s tear-filled eyes, and Gerard leaned in for another kiss, taking Frank by the hips and joining them even more together. Nothing was as perfect as this moment. Gerard could feel it in his lips, in his veins and in his heart. That tingling feeling that he couldn’t shake off, no matter how many times he kissed Frank, that fire that burned inside of him every time he was near Frank, that smile Frank awoke in him on his darkest days. It had to be true love. And Gerard was finally sure of it.

“Wanna give Mrs. Philips a reason to complain?”

“Like she hasn’t enough of those already.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's sappy, but I didn't have the heart to write anything else other than that xD


	25. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did it all turn out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this, I'm so sad it's over already, but it had to, because I'm not only drowning in school work, but I'm also starting to write the next fic, and the next, and the next...  
> What I mean is, I have a ton of ideas in my head, and I can't wait to have time to start to write them all properly!
> 
> I hope you liked this fic as much as I liked writing it. I'm sorry it took so long to update something so short, but I'm having a inhumanely amount of tests and papers to do and the days don't have enough hours in them for it all.
> 
> Thank you all who read, "kudo-ed" and commented, I love you all and honestly, you made these past two and half months a lot better :)

“Two years. Two years have gone by, can you believe it? It seems like it was yesterday, that I met Frank, Mikey married Pete, and I quit my job. I think you probably didn’t know about that, but it was the right thing to do. I hope you understand, I was getting tired of being bossed around every day and not being able to put all my qualities to good use. Every day I’d come home crying after work, and Frank would sit there, hugging me, and telling me everything was going to be ok.

He was another reason I quitted my job. He inspired me to start my own comic series and I did, featuring him and his crew of superheroes as my main characters. I called them Killjoys. One of the characters is Mikey, another is Ray, one of Frank’s friends and bandmate, and the other is kind of a self-portrait. It has been selling nicely, but it still wasn’t enough to live off of it. So I got another “job” so to speak, and I think now I’m doing something you would much rather see me do.

I joined Frank’s band, I mean, we all started a band now, me, Frank, Mikey and Ray. I’m the lead singer, I’ve never been happier, though I sometimes get a little bit nervous. But then I remember I have nothing to worry about, and if I don’t, Frank does that for me. He’s been so amazing. He started to write songs about my characters, for some reason, he says it could be a concept album, whatever that is. I don’t always know what it goes through his mind, nor do I always get it when I do know, but I don’t care, he’s mine and I love him.

I hope you got around to see the wedding. He is beautiful and perfect every day, but on that day, he made my heart stop for a full minute, just to start beating twice as fast afterwards. I tried to hold my tears during the “I do”, but I couldn’t. To know that _that man_ , the most perfect guy I’ve ever met, the most caring, loving and affectionate person to ever walk this earth, was going to be mine forever just made me fall apart. I still can’t believe it to this day, that I’m going to wake up every day with him by my side, it makes so fucking happy! Oh, sorry, I know you don’t like it when I swear, but now you can understand how excited I really am. The reception was nice too, you must have seen great-aunt Irene’s speech, sorry about that, I know that it was weird, but did you see the weirdest thing?

Mikey insisted he wanted three seats saved, one for him, another for Pete and the other for a mystery guest. I honestly thought he was going to bring their boy toy, thank god it wasn’t. It was Dr. Miller, the guy that made me do the experiment with Frank. After all, it wasn’t such a random pairing, me and Frank. That son of a bit… beaker Mikey, recruited Pete to help him convincing Dr. Miller to do the experiment just for us. There are no post-experiment interviews at all, he said we were both so in love with each other, he had to get us together himself, because he knew we would be too chickens to admit it to each other ourselves. In a way, I owe all of this happiness to Mikey, if it wasn’t for him, I would probably be very miserable today, and I’m so thankful to have him.

He’s also the reason I’m here today. He came to introduce the baby to mom. He said cemeteries weren’t the best place to bring a child, so I came by to tell you the news instead. He and Pete adopted this cute little girl, and they named her after you. Mikey wanted to honor you, and Pete even insisted they did so by giving her your name. She’s the sweetest thing ever, and it wasn’t long before Frank was talking to me about kids. He said he would like to adopt a boy, but said he could wait until whenever I was ready. He knows it’s difficult for me to get attached to people, but I’m honestly even kind of excited about it. I want to wait until we can gather a little more money though, but I wanted to know your opinion anyways. Do you think I’ll ever be a good father? Am I wrong on bringing a child to our home?” Gerard sighed, and jumped from the sudden remembrance. “And for the love of god, don’t you hit me with another nut, please!”

“What’s taking you so long?” Frank hit his head with a snowball.

“Thanks again grandma, I know you’re always right.” Gerard said with a smile, as he left her grave to meet Frank, kissing him on the forehead.

“What did she say?”

“She asked if we could name him Luke.”

Frank put his arm around Gerard’s shoulders and leaned to kiss his cheek. “Of course we can baby. Anything _she_ wants.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may write that fic Blackandred suggested of Mikey's and Pete's engagement, and make it like a second part of this. I still don't know how it will go though, because I didn't think about it until she suggested it, but I'm kind of excited to write that... :D
> 
> <3

**Author's Note:**

> As it's my first fic, I'd really appreciate some feedback, and also, a kitten loves you every time you leave some.


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